Craving The Demon: A Standalone Enemies To Lovers Mafia Romance

by Rebel Hart

  Adrenaline coursed through my veins at the thought of being considered of use to my family once again. I smiled back over my shoulder at her. “I won’t. I promise.”

  Leaving my mom’s office with the folder she’d given me in hand, my heart started to beat a little faster. It was my first official chance to show my mom that I was ready to step back into her good graces and I did not want to mess it up.

  “Hey.” Baylor was sitting right outside my mom’s office on one of the benches against the wall, flicking through his phone. “You grounded?”

  I snorted and nodded for him to follow me. “Nah.” I lifted the folder into the air and gave it a little wiggle. “I got a job.”

  “Like a job job?” he asked.

  “Not pity, not something to keep me out of the way. An actual job.”

  On the bottom level of our family estate was a pool table and bar that Baylor and I liked to frequent when we were home. I had a bit of a temper and didn’t like to lose, so we were safest playing at home where, if I got drunk and pissed off, my mom could stare me down into submission. Unlike me, Baylor had a more easygoing attitude, at least from what I’d seen. Far be it for me to call my mom crazy, but I’d never seen Baylor get too out of line, and he was my best friend. I’d seen him get vindictive, but a game of pool was never cause for concern.

  He started to rack the balls while I sat down in one of the plushy armchairs off to the side to review the information my mom had given me. “Apparently there’s some woman who’s blocking mom from MasCat, and her identity is fake. She needs me to figure out who she really is.”

  “Oh wow.” Baylor lifted his preferred stick off the wall. “That’s right in your wheelhouse.”

  “It is. She said if I accomplish this, she'll let me back in the business.”

  Baylor ducked over the edge of the pool table and jabbed his stick in towards the white pool cue and the balls clattered as he broke. “All you have to do is find out who she really is? You should be able to do that overnight.”

  “And kill her.”

  Baylor froze and looked up at me. “What?”

  I looked up at him. “She’s not hiding her identity as a hobby. If I were to guess, she’s someone else benefitting from MasCat’s current arrangement and isn’t about to give it up for what mom’s got planned. If she isn’t gonna fold, then I gotta get rid of her.”

  “Detective work and murder? Is she getting you a cake at the end too?”

  A dark laugh chuckled out of me. “Maybe.”

  Grabbing my preferred pool stick off the wall and bringing it over to me, he frowned. “Still, you gotta kill some old lady though. That’s gonna suck.”

  “If by old lady you mean hot young woman, then you’d be correct.” He looked over my shoulder and I flipped the page to show him the picture of her. “Check that out.”

  He let out a hollow whistle. “Oh man, she is. A redhead too. I love redheads.”

  “I know you do, but that’s not her natural hair color,” I replied, then I pointed down at the picture to her eyebrows. “She’s naturally a blonde, and I’m guessing that’s a wig.”

  “Oh shit.” He tapped me on my shoulders. “That would be why you do what you do and I do what I do.”

  I closed the folder and grabbed the pool cue from Baylor, ready to just relax after the day’s events and before embarking on my first real job in over a year. Baylor had broken the balls with an even enough spread, and I was always solids to his stripes. I picked a couple of solids in a row that would set me up for a subsequent turn and hopefully push Baylor out a turn, then I shot.

  “Speaking of what you do… Aren’t you supposed to be dealing with the cops?” I asked.

  Baylor shrugged his shoulders. “They’ve got one of those new hotshot ‘gonna end all the crime in the entire state of Nevada’ detectives over there right now. She’s way too busy testing out everything she learned in Criminal Justice 101 to find anything that could link it to us. Even by the time she finds the video of us fighting with the Pucketts, I’ll have planted enough evidence to make it look like you and I had a fun-filled night on the strip after that.”

  “You’re sounding a little cocky there, brother.”

  He snorted. “Look who’s talking.” He propped himself over the edge of the table and prepared to shoot. “You just worry about killing your hot blonde, I’ll deal with the redhead.”

  “She’s a redhead?” I asked. “You didn’t mention that before.”

  As he shot, his stick went off-kilter and he screwed the balls all over the table. “Shit.”

  I laughed and tapped his back. “Looks like you’re the one who needs to focus.”

  4

  Bryce

  After a late night at our family’s estate, Baylor and I opted to stay the night in our old rooms at our parents’ place. The bed wasn’t nearly as comfortable as mine, and nothing beat being in my penthouse that overlooked the strip, but it was nice that I always had a place to go even when I was there. Because I was already an adult when we moved to Vegas, my room was muted and played down—nothing you wouldn’t expect from a young man. I was a bit of a neat freak, oddly enough, and everything had to be in its place, but most of what was left behind in my old room was a few books and that was it. Everything else had gone with me to my new place when I moved.

  Cracking my neck as I sat up, I immediately started to go over what my day needed to look like. All we knew about this Jade Meghan person was that she was on the board of directors for MasCat Technologies in spite of her young age. They did have their monthly board meeting coming up in a couple of days and I’d actually be able to lay my eyes on the woman, but I wanted to try and get some information cooking before then.

  I wanted to try and figure out who Jade Meghan actually was.

  Back in Colorado, I had a whole host of people I could contact for aid in my work. Implants at the police department who could run background checks for me if I needed them, government officials who could get people’s personal records… hell, I even knew people at the DMV. Everyone thinks to protect their most important information—credit cards, social security cards, birth certificates—but people actually fail to realize how much can be unearthed based on the things you don’t think about. Even just a photo can provide information you don’t think it does, which is how I knew I was actually looking for a blonde.

  Unfortunately, since moving to Vegas, I hadn’t been given any real tasks, so I hadn’t had the chance I needed to establish a new network. Really what that meant was that I had to work from the inside out. There were three people that I had in my corner, my parents and Baylor, and I knew exactly who I wanted to start with.

  Climbing out of bed, I walked over to the closet and sifted through the clothes that I’d left inside. My wardrobe was pretty muted. Unlike Baylor, who could rock a good Italian cut to a McDonalds like he belonged there, I was significantly less of a suit-and-tie kind of guy. A plain t-shirt, a durable pair of pants, and a solid jean or leather jacket were really all I needed. I grabbed one item of each—a navy t-shirt, dark blue jean jacket, and a pair of tan slacks—and then walked through the closet into the attached bathroom. A smile slid across my face as I activated the sound system inside.

  “Ten in the morning is late enough for everyone to be awake I hope,” I muttered.

  My musical style consisted of anything that sounded good to me, and I never bathed without my playlist going. I connected my phone to the Bluetooth and got the music started, then I started the shower and stripped down. I took a moment to glance at my abs in the mirror and frowned. The scuffle with the Pucketts had left a few unruly marks behind, which irritated me less because they were blemishes on my skin, and more because they disrupted the artwork of my tattoos scrawling across my pecs and upper arms. The pirate ship I had inked, with its tattered sails and lightning striking behind it, was made weaker with a darkened brown and purple bruise right over the mainsail and slashes down the hull.

  If I continu
ed to stare at it, it’d make me angry all over again, so I turned my attention to taking a thorough shower and getting all of the previous night’s events off of me. Some of my leftover hair care products were still littered around the walk-in shower, so I was able to give my locks enough attention to leave them down for the day. Then I washed the rest of my body and climbed out, feeling refreshed and ready for a day of hunting.

  I made a pass back through the closet to dump my dirty clothes for cleaning by the house staff at some point, passed back through the bedroom to grab the folder my mom had given me, and left the room behind. I could hear some general chatter coming from the upper floor where the kitchen was, so I wandered my way up there, knowing when conversation came to a halt immediately that my music probably hadn’t been well received. My father, mother, and brother were all seated around the small, round glass table that my mother kept in the breakfast nook area of the kitchen, and they were all glaring in my direction.

  “What can I say? I like to jam,” I said.

  My mother frowned. “You think we haven’t gotten used to your irritating antics by now?” she hissed. “That isn’t the issue.”

  “Oh… what’s the issue?” I asked.

  Baylor lifted an eyebrow. “I assumed you would have gone home last night.”

  “Uh, no. We were up pretty late and I’d had enough to drink that I thought better of it.” I noticed the three plates on the table and scowled. “Do you not want me here?”

  My dad spoke up immediately. “Oh, no son. It’s not that. It’s just that—”

  “Bryce.” I looked over to my right where a rack of clothes had been wheeled into the room from down where the elevators were. There was a collection of dresses and suits hanging from it, and a woman was standing next to it with her hand resting on top.

  A woman I knew very well.

  “Shay,” I said quietly. “Hi.”

  Irritated didn’t quite cover the look on her face. “Hi.”

  My mom set her fork down on her plate with a clank. “Oh good. I was hoping to add an uncomfortable interaction to my morning.”

  Shay was a tall, slender woman with short brown hair and mocha skin. She was my mom’s newest personal shopper, who hit the streets and was responsible for getting all of the fashions my mom wore, and occasionally, she secured suits for my father as well, whenever there was an event or specific reason to be dressed nicely. My mom went through about seven different people trying to find the right person to be her personal shopper, but because I was hanging around bored most of the time and Shay was very beautiful, things of course got heated between us. Unbeknownst to my mother, we were using her trips to our family’s home as a cover to hook up. Things were fine until Shay told me she wanted to take things to the next level with me, and I wasn’t interested. I wasn’t the totally non-committal kind of guy, but I had my whole life to find someone to spend my life with; I wanted to enjoy being young.

  On top of that, I’d never really found anyone who excited me to the point that I could see myself being long-term with them. I needed someone who could hang with my wild side while at the same time grounding me, and that person just hadn’t come along yet. I figured it was kind of the way life regulated stuff like that. When I was older and ready to settle down, I’d meet her. It just wasn’t time for that yet.

  Needless to say, Shay wasn’t too thrilled to hear that. She believed all of our hooking up was headed somewhere, and when it wasn’t she got pretty angry. She nearly quit, of course telling my mom why in the process, but my mom managed to keep her around with a hefty pay increase and benefits. Of course, her continuing to work for my mom meant we crossed paths from time to time, and our interactions usually turned volatile.

  Things were different this time though, because I’d finally been given a chance to prove to my mom that I’d grown and was ready to take my role back. For that, I needed to prove that I could be professional, even now.

  “Actually, I won’t stay. That’s on me for showing up unexpectedly.” I pointed to my dad. “I just needed to talk to you, if you have a sec?”

  “Sure.” He set down his fork and stood up, moving fast likely because he wanted to get Shay and me out of the same room. “Let’s head to my office.” He tapped me on the shoulder and started off down the hallway, unfortunately, taking me right past where Shay was standing.

  “I’m uh…” I shifted my gaze side-to-side as I passed Shay. “Sorry.” Then I just continued past her.

  She didn’t say anything in response, but my dad laughed. “That wasn’t awkward at all.”

  “Why is she here?” I asked.

  “Your mother got an invitation to the dinner before that tech convention next weekend, and she wants us to be dressed to impress. Some people from the city will be there, and if we can get in with them, the ball will really get rolling.”

  He opened the door to his office and stood aside so that I could walk in, and then walked in after me and closed the door behind him. Rather than going over to his desk, he led me to an L-shaped couch in one corner of his room. As a more laid-back guy, he preferred not to be at his desk as much as possible—the total opposite of my mom.

  I sat down on one side of the L and he sat down on the other and leaned back. “So, what’s up?”

  “Well, in a fit of screaming at me yesterday, Mom mentioned that you’ve been getting in at the LVPD,” I explained. “I don’t know if she told you, but she finally gave me a job.”

  “She did. I’m happy about it too. I think it’s long overdue. You’ve learned from your past mistakes.”

  I smiled. “Thanks dad.” Then cleared my throat. “Uh, yeah, so I need to try and find out who this Jade Meghan person is, but I don’t have contacts who can run names like I did back in Boulder. I was wondering if you might be able to call in a favor for me and I can owe you one?”

  “Of course.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted me a contact. “That’s my guy at the LVPD. Just call him ‘Dardo,’ and I’ll send a message ahead to let him know you’re gonna be contacting him. Don’t go there. Text him the details only, and give him your email, and he’ll send you any results.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

  “What else you got planned?” he asked.

  “A good old-fashioned visit,” I said. “Someone knows Jade Meghan better than the board members page of the MasCat website. All I need is one thread, and I can follow it all the way to the end.”

  He snickered. “Trust me, I know your skills. If my guy can’t get you the lead you need, I know you’ll be able to find something.”

  “That’s the plan,” I said. Then I cleared my throat and looked right at my dad. “Can we, um…”

  “Your mother won’t know,” he finished for me.

  It wasn’t as if I wanted to lie to my mother, but I didn’t want her thinking that I didn’t have any way to pull it off on my own. There was no shame in asking for help, but I wanted her to think that I was able to do this solo so that she would trust when it was time to set me off on regular missions again like she had in the past.

  “Thanks, and I’m serious about owing you one. Whatever you need, you just let me know and I got you.”

  He nodded. “I’ve got something in mind, but I won’t split your attention. You work on making things right with your mother and getting this task under your belt first, then we’ll talk.”

  “Deal.” With that, I stood up, thanked my dad one last time, and walked out of his office.

  As soon as I opened the door, Shay was standing there, looking impatient and annoyed.

  “Uh, hey.”

  “Hi.” She was tapping her foot. “Are you finished?”

  “Yeah…?” I said. “Did you need me for something?”

  “No.” She motioned into the room. “I have suits for your dad.”

  “Right!” I started down the hallway and then stopped short and turned around. “Um…” I blew wind out of my mouth. “What I’m about to do is so fuck
ed up but… You work a lot in this city, right? With big names? Other people… like us?” My mom never hired people without being up-front about what we do. She believed everyone deserved a choice in that matter, because if the building ever came down, it was coming down with everyone in it. Shay had accepted it openly, saying my mom wasn’t her first shady client.

  She crossed her arms, but didn’t immediately dismiss me, which I appreciated. “Yes.”

  “I know we have… bad history… but if I show you a picture of someone, can you tell me if you recognize her?”

  “You’re asking me for help?” she sneered. “Why would I help you?”

  I held up my hands, not wanting to push that envelope any further. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ll just go.”

  I turned around to head back down the hallway when I heard a loud sigh and then, “Show me the picture.”

  Flipping around as quickly as I could, I opened the folder in my hand and yanked out the picture and handed it over. “I’m told her name is Jade Meghan,” then I snorted. “But it isn’t.”

  She snatched the picture from me, making no attempt to hide her ire, and then started to study it. Her eyes were squinted in a way that registered as a hint of recognition, but she was struggling to place it. “It’s weird. It’s kind of like maybe I’ve seen her before, but not quite…?”

  “I’m pretty sure she’s wearing a wig here.” I reached over, being careful not to get too close, and closed my hand, as best I could, over the red hair. “Anything?”

  “Yeah,” she replied, but then pointed at her eyes. “I think her eye color is fake too.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me.” I pulled my hand back and put some space between us. “Any names?”

  She frowned. “No, but…” She handed the picture back over and looked as if she was regretting what she was about to say. “I’ve got jobs with pretty much all of my clients today. It’s a back-to-back schedule. I’m pretty sure I’ve dressed her. Recently. For a cocktail party, I think. She was talking about a bunch of people that I felt like were too old for what she was doing.”