by Mae Martini
Sacks shot at Vito, hitting his target. Vito crumpled to the ground.
Pulling out his gun, Bobby turned to where the shot rang out and started shooting. He managed to get one shot off and hit nothing because from behind him, Vinnie pumped two shots into him and he went down.
Lino pulled up quickly, and Vinnie and Tony jumped into the car and sped off, just as Jack fired off a couple of shots at the car.
Chapter 27
It hardly ever happened when they slept together, but that day, Melanie awoke before Logan. She turned to watch him. She was as amazed as the first time she saw him. She couldn’t think of another man she’d ever met who got her heart doing flips. He was so cute and sexy. He was a good man. She couldn’t believe someone like him wanted to be with her.
As she continued to watch him, she thought about his son Heath and with a gasp, she sat up.
Logan felt her rise up and opened his eyes. He was half awake anyway and knew she was studying him. He gave her that, there were many times he woke first and studied her.
He looked to her, “What?”
“Heath.”
“What about him?”
“Logan, I won’t put him in harm’s way. If someone is after me, they may try to go through you and Heath to get to me. I have to leave. We shouldn’t be together until this is over-”
“Melanie, calm down,” he said as he rose and pulled her to him. “I won’t let anything happen to him or me, or you. But you’ve got to do what I tell you. We’ll get through this.”
She hesitated, then nodded her head.
“Okay. First thing we’re going to do is, I’m going to run over to your place and pick up some of your stuff, so write a list. You’ll stay here.”
She went to protest. He shook his head. “No, now is a good time, Heath is away for the month and with a little luck this will all be over by then.”
She looked at him and bit her lower lip. Then she nodded her head.
She rose out of bed when she heard her phone go off, indicating a text message.
Logan lay back with his hands behind his head, elbows sticking out. He watched her move around. She was naked and he was smiling.
Melanie grabbed her phone and headed back to bed. She picked up her head to see him with a smile on his face and his eyes were twinkling.
“What are you smiling at?” she asked playfully.
“You.”
“Oh, yeah?” she replied. She stopped dead in her tracks, not two feet from his side of the bed, and slowly and dramatically turned around, holding her arms out in front of her. “Like what you see?” she asked in an uncharacteristic, cocky voice.
As she was still in a turn, not quite all the way around, she felt his hand yank her to him and he brought her down on top of him.
She was giggling.
“You know I do,” he growled as he wrapped his hands around her waist and nuzzled her neck.
She was still giggling when she opened her text messages. Her face dropped. She began to squirm to get loose from Logan’s hold.
“Logan, stop. Let me up.”
Reminiscent of the last time he held her down and she wanted to get up, he swiftly removed his hands and she sprung up.
She reread the text then looked to his face. He looked guilty and she knew he was remembering that time at Richie’s house.
“Oh, no Logan, it’s not that at all. Please don’t even give that a second thought,” she said as she brought her lips down to his for a gentle kiss.
“Then what’s wrong?”
“Let’s put the news on,” she said as she reached for the clicker on his night table. She put on the national, all news channel and sat at the foot of the bed.
Just as Logan asked “What are we looking for?” the answer appeared.
A news reporter, whom Melanie knew from the local news in New York, was standing outside a home in the Bath Beach section of Brooklyn. A home Melanie was all too familiar with. She grew up one block up from there. The camera panned around to blood stains on the ground.
‘Vito Sacrapante, acting boss of the Mazza family, was gunned down last night in front of his girlfriend of twenty six years, home, here on a quiet street in Bensonhurst. Bobby Batillo, long time close friend and bodyguard to Vito was also gunned down. The police are investigating the double murder, but one thing is certain. Michael, Pretty Boy, Fiore will be replacing Vito as the acting boss, WABC news has learned….’
Upon hearing that name, Logan quickly rose from bed and went to sit down next to Melanie, wanting to get a better look at the man whose image appeared on the TV screen. He reached for and held Melanie’s hand as she began to rock back and forth.
“Melanie?”
“He’s made.” She began to tremble.
“What? Mel? Look at me. Talk to me,” he said as he placed a hand up to her jaw and gently turned her head his way.
“He’s a made man. He couldn’t be a boss unless he was made.”
She picked up the clicker and changed the channel to another news network. There was a picture of him on that channel.
“He’s dangerous, Logan.” She looked closer at the picture. “He looks crazy. His eyes, I don’t know, they seem vacant. He lost weight and he looks… different.”
Logan saw a good looking man on the screen. He could see why they called him Pretty Boy.
“I have to go back there. I can’t let him come anywhere near here,” she said, sounding frantic.
“Whoa! Slow down, darlin’, no one’s going anywhere.”
“Logan?”
“No.”
“Lo-”
“No. Let’s calm down and think.”
They both sat there as the news kept talking about the double murder in New York.
“We don’t even know if he’s still looking for you. Can we find out somehow?”
“I’ll call my sister, maybe she knows something.”
After hanging up the phone with Ally, Melanie relayed to Logan that her sister hadn’t heard from Michael in over a month.
“Okay, there, you see. He’s probably moved on,” Logan said.
Melanie nodded her head slowly, but something in the back of her mind nagged her.
“Okay, so I can go home.”
“Do you want to go back to New York?” he asked solemnly.”
Melanie paused and he waited anxiously for her answer.
“No, I meant back to Charlie’s house.”
“Oh.” Logan breathed a sigh of relief. He snaked an arm around her waist and nuzzled her ear. “Well, since Heath will be gone for the month.” He moved his mouth to her throat and kissed it. “Why don’t we continue as planned?” He kissed some more and moaned at the taste of her, “Move in here for the month.” He brought his lips up to hers and kissed her as he caressed one of her smooth thighs, then her smooth stomach, then one of her soft breasts.
She responded by lightly caressing his thigh, inching up agonizingly slow, in Logan’s opinion, to his erection.
He breathed in air when she started pumping him. He grabbed her by the waist and brought her on top of him. As soon as she straddled him, he put himself inside her and brought her down.
“Ahhhh, baby,” he said at her lips and then he kissed her deeply as he moved her up and down, first slowly then gradually moved her frantically on him.
****
It was all over the news. ‘Vito Sacrapante, acting boss of the Mazza family is dead, gunned down in front of his goumada’s house the night before. The police are investigating but one thing for sure is they believe that Michael, Pretty Boy, Fiore, who has been a rising star in the family, is going to take the place of acting boss, while the boss, Dante Mazza, is serving a life sentence’.
A picture of Michael was shown on all the news channels and it made the papers too.
“Dumb, fuck”, Vinnie said. “If you’d a changed your routine, you might’d a been alive today.”
The crew nodded their heads in agreement and laughed while Michael w
as behind the bar downing shots of whiskey.
Chapter 28
Melanie walked out of Logan’s bedroom with a towel wrapped around her. She had just stepped out of the shower with Logan and she was going to the side door to retrieve her clothes that were discarded the night before in haste to make love. Oops, make love?
She picked up her top and shorts but couldn’t find her bra and thong.
“Looking for these?”
Melanie heard a voice coming from the kitchen and whipped around so fast, she almost lost her towel.
She saw a man standing by the counter with her matching royal blue bra and thong in his outstretched hand. She screamed.
She was just about to run back into the bedroom, when Logan came out after hearing her scream.
He zeroed in on Melanie and assessed she was all right then he turned to the kitchen and saw his brother holding out her undergarments.
“Give me those,” he said, sounding annoyed as he strode over and ripped them out of his hand. He turned and walked over and handed them to Melanie.
“Melanie, this asshole is my brother, Brett. Brett, Melanie,” he said, gesturing with his arm.
“Ouch, I’m hurt little brother and it’s so nice to meet the woman who wears those undergarments,” he said with a grin.
Logan caught Melanie blush and smiled. He liked that she was modest.
“Go get dressed, sweetheart,” Logan said and as she started to walk back to the bedroom, Logan stopped her and kissed her. Then he let her go and she walked into the bedroom and closed the door.
“Man, Richie said she was a hottie,” Brett said.
Logan nodded his head, “So what brings you here? I thought we were meeting at the corral.”
“I’m much more interested in why her clothes-” he nodded in the direction of the bedroom, “-were on the floor by the side door.”
Logan rolled his eyes but grinned. “Really, what’s up?”
“I was wondering if you were free tonight to double date.”
“You do know, to double date, both of us have to actually have a date?” Logan asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, you aren’t the only one who can keep a girlfriend a secret from his brother,” Brett said, shaking his head and smirking.
“I wasn’t….wait, you have a girlfriend?” he asked incredulously.
“Don’t look so surprised. I’m quite the catch, you know.”
“Don’t flatter yourself.”
They both laughed.
“So, who is she?”
“Dana Thomas.”
“Dana Thomas?” Logan whistled. “You’ve pined after her since she moved here, what, like four years ago?”
“Five and tell me about it. I had to work hard. Remember she said she didn’t want to date anyone when she first moved here.”
“Yeah. Her husband had just died, right?”
“Yeah. Lucky me, her mourning period is over.”
“Good for you, big brother. I’m happy for you. How long are you two dating?”
“Six months.” Brett winced after he said that because he knew it was coming.
“Six months! Six months and you’re just telling me now!” Logan’s voice boomed throughout the house.
Melanie came walking out of the bedroom looking startled and went over to the kitchen doorway and watched the two brothers.
It dawned on her that she had seen him before. It was at the gym. He was wearing a baseball hat and was checking her out. She went to walk over to him but Cody had called her. He looked familiar because he looked like Logan.
She watched as Logan reached for a can of coffee from the cabinet. She walked over to him and took it from him and began to make the coffee.
“My brother’s dating a woman for six months and he’s just, now, telling me,” he said to her.
Melanie didn’t know what to say. She bit her lower lip and slightly shrugged.
“And the only reason I’m telling you is because I asked her to marry me and she said yes.”
“What?” Logan whipped his head from Melanie to him.
Brett smiled and nodded his head.
Logan was kind of upset he was out of the loop, but he was happy for Brett. He knew Brett wanted to settle down and start a family for a long time now. His happiness for him outweighed his anger and he went over to him and gave him a bear hug. “Congratulations, man. I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks.”
“Congratulations.” Came a soft reply from Melanie.
“Thank you, darlin’.”
The three of them sat around the kitchen table drinking coffee. Logan got up and excused himself. A call came in on his cell phone.
“You were at the gym a while back?” she asked Brett.
He nodded his head.
“Checking me out?”
“Melanie, despite what my brother says about me, I look out for him and Geli,” he said almost apologetically.
“I’ve never heard an unkind word out of his mouth about you,” she said smiling. “Sooo, do I meet your approval?” Not that she really cared what he thought. Logan was the only one that mattered to her.
Brett smiled and she saw the same dimples as Logan’s and Heath’s. “Yes, but even if I didn’t, I don’t think there is anything I could do. He looks good, happy and between Richie and Jay telling me how wonderful you are. I’m wondering if I made the right choice,” he said winking and smiling.
Melanie smiled back at him.
Melanie stayed around Logan’s house keeping busy, reading manuscripts and emailing while he was working.
Before work, he and Brett took a ride to her place to pick up the items on her list.
The four of them went out to dinner that night and they had a nice, relaxing time. The girls got along well.
Melanie was happy to have the company of Dana that Saturday at the fundraiser in Fredericksburg. The guys, along with Richie and J.B. had helped out behind and on top of the chutes during the rodeo.
Laura couldn’t make it; she had to tend to her mother who was ill.
Logan didn’t stay on his bronc the whole 8 seconds, so he didn’t receive a score. But he sure looked good in those black chaps with the black fringes running down the sides. She was relieved to see him roll and rise swiftly, narrowly escaping the horse’s hoof that came down where his body was a miniscule second before.
The winner of the event was the guy, Cord, that Logan introduced her to earlier. His parent’s hosted the fundraiser every year for our veterans.
He was with a woman named Annie and she found out that Annie came from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn too. They were the same age but she didn’t know her because they ran in a different circle of friends. Melanie went to public school and Annie went to private school, but they did know a few of the same people. What a small world. She liked this couple.
They ate and drank into the night. When a renowned country music artist took to the stage in one of the big white tents that were set up, he started playing one of his slow hits.
Logan and Melanie danced. It was the first time they danced together and being this close to her and feeling buzzed, Logan felt frisky.
She felt his erection grow and looked up into his eyes and watched those gorgeous hazels turn dark. It took her breath away. His desire for her was unmistakable and she knew at that point that she would always desire him. She was falling in love with him.
When Richie dropped them off at Logan’s house that night, they didn’t wait to go inside. He dragged her to his pickup truck and dropped the tailgate. He was a man on a mission, and that mission didn’t end until he had her stripped naked and was inside her. He did pause to retrieve the blanket he had in the tool box, to which she was grateful, and urged her onto her hands and knees.
With a primal need, he pulled her hair and pounded her until she whimpered in ecstasy.
When she clamped down on him, he lost it. He roared her name as he came violently from all the pent up sexual heat of the night.
Chapter 29
Logan awoke with a slight headache. He opened his eyes to see Melanie dressed in workout gear. Her eyes were sparkling and she was smiling. He studied her a moment before she looked up to him.
“Oh, good morning,” she said cheerfully as she stuffed a small towel into her gym bag.
“What are you so happy about?” he asked teasingly. Seeing her happy and smiling always put him in a good mood.
She smiled even bigger, “You don’t remember?”
“Remember what?”
“You screamed my name last night.”
“I did not,” he denied playfully.
“Yep, you did,” and she walked suggestively over to him and climbed on top of him and got in his face, “As you were coming,” she said, in a breathless, sexy voice.
“I don’t scream, girls scream,” he growled as he flipped her.
She giggled and when she made eye contact with him, they both grew serious.
He slowly moved his mouth down to her lips as she slowly moved hers up to meet his, all the while gazing into each other’s eyes.
When he pried her mouth open with his, she closed her eyes and savored his taste as their tongues joined.
He abruptly ended the kiss and moved his head back while smiling down at her.
She opened her eyes to see him smile and she lifted the corners of her mouth. “You make me weak kneed.”
“I know,” he said with a cocky grin on his face.
“So, I can cross off ‘doing it in a pickup truck’ from my bucket list,” she said, laughing.
“You have a bucket list”?
“Yep,” she said, smiling.
“Just how old are you darlin’?”
“Twenty eight.”
“A little young to have a bucket list, don’t ya think?”
“You never know.”
“What else is on that list?”
Without missing a beat she said, “Seeing the Aurora Borealis.”