Afon_The Dudnik Circle Book 3

by Esther E. Schmidt

  “Enough.” The single word bounces off the walls, making everyone snap their head toward Ford.

  “Like I said, together we’ll end that shit. This clearly took place before we had our little talk, so we’ll handle it. I’m sorry to say that now that it’s done we can’t let her go.” Ford holds out his hand toward his wife who’s clearly ready to throw around some words. “Not done, you’ll have your say in a bit. Now, as I said, we can’t let her go because Esposito will retaliate anyway, yet now we still have leverage. She won’t be harmed in any way. You got that, fucker?”

  Ricca nods. “I already took care of it, they have their orders. But I’ll get home and make fucking sure myself, okay?”

  “Yeah, you do that. But I’ll be on your doorstep early tomorrow morning to make sure myself,” Tarzan answers my brother.

  “Okay, folks. Let’s call it a fucking night. We all need to cool down and get some sleep. We’ll meet at Ricca’s house later tomorrow and talk things through,” Ford says and guides his wife toward the door.

  Except Tarzan is rooted to the ground, her arms crossed in front of her chest and a full-on glare aimed at my brother.

  His upper lip twitches, a sign of pure anger and annoyance. “Tomorrow,” he snaps and stalks out of the room.

  “You know…I am really starting to dislike your brother,” Tarzan mutters.

  “Yeah, well…you and me both,” I tell her.

  I still can’t believe he did that. First, he broke his promise to me that he would never push me toward an arranged marriage, and for him to take a woman hostage? Especially after what happened to me? I’m starting to think I don’t even know who the hell my own brother is anymore.

  “Come on, anima mia. Let’s grab something to eat, a glass of wine, and then we’ll take a shower and slide into bed.” Afon’s voice rips me from staring at the door my brother just went through.

  And I now realize Ford and Tarzan as well because they aren’t in the room with us anymore.

  “We’ve got two new guys outside keeping watch and I’ve set the alarm. I’ll put something in the oven before I take Dozor out of his room for a walk. That way I won’t have to get up early tomorrow morning.” Afon steps forward but I grab his wrist.

  “Do you mind if I come with? I would like to get some fresh air too.” His face lights up due to my words, giving me a lift of his chin in agreement.

  Afon jogs up the stairs to get Dozor and when he walks back into the room, he’s brought one of his coats for me to keep warm. He laces his fingers with mine as we walk into his large garden. Even with the moonlight the large garden is a sight to behold.

  A wide stone path leads through the grass where on the left is a wide space of flowers that are growing wild against the large stone wall that surrounds the property. Dozor runs off until we see him stop abruptly. A squeaking sound emerges as Dozor comes running back to us. Dozor throws a bright yellow screaming chicken in front of Afon’s feet.

  Afon reaches for it but Dozor snatches it away, only to throw it back the next instant. I watch it go on like that four more times before Afon curses and gives up. A giggle escapes me, making Afon glare at me in return.

  “Dozor, sit,” I tell the huge dog and his ass hits the grass the next instant. “Stay,” I tell him and I snatch up the toy that’s covered with slime.

  I hand it over to Afon with a shrug. “I can’t throw for shit unless it’s a knife.”

  A proud smile tugs his lips before he throws the toy, making Dozor dash off into the night. It turns into a repeated action until Dozor plops down and refuses to hand over the toy.

  “Come on, big man, let’s go inside,” Afon says, making Dozor trod off into the house. “Why don’t you go upstairs? I’ll grab us some snacks and a bottle of wine.”

  For the first time in all those days I’ve spent in his bed I’m actually nervous. It’s crazy, I know, considering Afon wouldn’t hurt or pressure me in any way. A gentle push in the right direction though? Yes. Although for some his fingers wrapped around my throat won’t be viewed as a gentle push.

  He leans in and brushes his lips over mine. “Stop thinking, Andy. Take a shower and get into bed. We’ll talk with some TV on in the background and then we’ll sleep. Nothing more. Okay?”

  “Okay,” I reply and dammit, just that soft kiss was enough to make my heart skip a beat.

  Before I lose my mind and wrap my fingers in his shirt to kiss him silly, I rush toward the stairs without looking back, hearing Afon’s chuckle following behind me. Dammit. Sounds like he knows for damn sure what he does to me.

  He keeps surprising me at the moments when the crucial things matter. In a world that’s lead by men, it’s he who gives me a place next to him. I know Tarzan had everything to do with this, and yet I know for sure he wasn’t ever like this for her. What we have is completely different.

  The heat of the shower is a welcome relief in washing away all the emotions from the past few hours. Seeing a scene like the one on Afon’s doorstep isn’t your everyday business. I’ve created bloodbaths myself, killing without remorse for the sake of survival, but it never gets any easier. It’s not like I’m a sobbing mess, but it does take me a moment to shrug it off.

  The same goes for Afon, knowing very well Jakov was his friend. In this life you know how easy life can slip away. It never gets easy losing a loved one, friends, soldiers, people around you who are in some way connected. It takes a piece of your heart that will never heal.

  When I emerge from the bathroom in a large ruby red nightgown, I see Afon already on the bed underneath the covers. A drop of water still trailing down his shoulder here and there. He must have used the shower in the bathroom across the hallway. From the nightstand he grabs two glasses of wine and hands me one after I slide beneath the sheets.

  “Just one, we need to be at the meeting bright and early. I know Ford said later tomorrow, but he always says that shit and then we get a text to meet him at nine. I’d like to handle some other stuff first.” Afon takes a sip and places his glass back on the table, his head now resting against the headboard and his eyes closed.

  “I’m sorry about Jakov,” I whisper.

  Without saying anything he just strokes his hand along my back. Placing my wine next to his without taking a sip, I snuggle against him and close my eyes, already drifting off to the sound of his heartbeat.

  Chapter 13

  They will rule in my favor.

  ***Afon***

  “What the hell is he doing here?” Ricca snaps while he lifts his chin in Peacock’s direction.

  Yeah, I wondered the same thing. Peacock’s got his own Russian gang, and a damn MC at his back, The Neon Marksman MC. A whole biker gang filled with hitmen. Yet here he stands in the room with us, having a meeting about a dispute between two Italian gangs who pissed on Russian territory.

  “Tarzan called Karma. Then my woman gave me a wedgie about some fucker who kidnapped a damn woman to use as leverage. And I fucking hate it when my woman’s upset,” Peacock grumbles and sinks down in a chair. “Start fucking talking so we can end this whole thing and I can get back and mind my own fucking business.”

  “I’ve got it all handled,” Ricca snaps again.

  “Dude, I beg to differ, exclamation mark. Or should I say intestines and a fucking head nowadays for punctuation?” Tarzan rolls her eyes.

  She’s the only woman in the room; being the other boss of The Dudnik Circle she has the privilege. These last few months she’s let Ford take the lead in most stuff. I think after years of running a gang on her own she’s finally getting to enjoy being a wife. Except now? With her friend, my woman involved…this fucker Ricca here kidnapping a woman? Yeah, she’s all in and up all our asses to get this handled.

  “Why don’t we pop a round in that old fucker so I can take my wife and head home? It’s too fucking early for this shit,” Peacock grumbles.

  “Because I have to go through the syndicate to end him. I can’t go off killing major players wit
hout consequences.” Ricca regretfully runs a hand through his thick hair.

  “Esposito’s damn lucky Ricca’s the boss and not me, because I’d fucking end him right after I found Stefano,” Fausto mutters from across the table.

  “Ricca already requested it, Fausto,” Arminio says. “He just has to wait until they give their answer, and you damn well know it.”

  Ernesto just keeps quiet but his eyes are flaming. Andy told me all about these three. About her brother’s friends who have been a solid pack since they were all around the age of twelve. She talks about them as if the four of them are brothers but in this room, it’s clear Ricca is their boss. They have a structure, a chain of command where Fausto is the underboss, Arminio is Ricca’s consigliere, and Ernesto is a capo.

  Fausto releases a groan. “Yeah. But there is another option though.” With this all eyes land on Fausto. “You already took the bitch…so, you know…take her.”

  Tarzan flashes up and has him by the throat so fast it takes a moment before Ford, Peacock and myself can free him from her grip.

  Fausto is now standing near the door, a hand bracing on his knee while fighting for his breath he manages to rasp, “I m..meant…marry h…her. Fuck.”

  “Then you should have said that, asshole,” Tarzan seethes and shakes our hands off her. “I’m fine now. I won’t snap his neck…yet.”

  “I’m not marrying anyone,” Ricca growls.

  “Can I just suggest you see the bitch first and then repeat it…if you still manage to make your mouth work with all the drool. Or better yet, marry the bitch off to me, I’ll gladly offer myself.” Ernesto chuckles.

  Ricca shoots him a glare that prevents the man from making any more sounds. I haven’t seen this Chiara either, but the way Ricca reacts does spike some interest. Lucky enough, Tarzan’s the first one to ask what all of us are thinking.

  “How can you not know how she looks and yet you’ve let those idiots snatch her up?” Tarzan quips, seems her interest is sparked too. “And stop calling the woman a bitch, she hasn’t done anything wrong.”

  “Esposito has wanted a tie between our families for years, through Andy. Our businesses match quite well but it’s a matter of principle for me. There won’t ever be a tie between us.” Ricca’s knuckles turn white, he’s such a stubborn fuck. “And Ernesto knows very well she can’t be wed lower in rank. She’s an heir, the only living blood next to Esposito to inherit when that fucker stops breathing.”

  “Is she in good care? We need to know. Can I see her?” Tarzan presses.

  “No. I don’t want her to see your face,” Ford tells his wife. “In case something happens, I like to have the advantage that The Dudnik Circle is out of it. That way we can strike harder when we do…I mean we fucking will, but you get my point.”

  “Yes,” Tarzan sighs. “But then let Andy go in. She’s already connected in all of this.”

  “Fine,” Ricca snaps. “Now can we get to the point here? I’m waiting to get word from the syndicate. With what Esposito did, I’m sure they will rule in my favor. I will either get the all clear to handle it or they will step in.”

  “Did you…you know…add the fact that you snatched yourself a little somethin’ somethin’?” Tarzan wiggles her eyes.

  Ricca’s upper lip rises in anger. “Not your business,” he snaps.

  “I’m going.” Tarzan smiles, clearly satisfied with riling up Ricca. “You guys can finish up here. I’ll get Andy to check up on the girl so we all know she’s taken care of.”

  She slips from the room when Ford smacks down a file on the table in front of us. “This is all the intel our computer team could find.”

  “That’s one hell of a file.” Ricca reaches out and starts to look through it.

  I already know what’s in there. Ford stopped over our place before we all headed out to Ricca. We’ve got three computer geniuses, the triple A nerd team as we call them, and together they can bare every dirty little secret out there.

  “A rat is still a rat, but fuck…money?” Ricca shakes his head. “Seriously? I don’t understand some people and I doubt ever will. How the hell can you sell yourself like that? I have more money than that Esposito fucker and yet Vinci turns his back to me and takes a quick pay…oh, you guys are good. So, he’s on a plane, huh?”

  Ricca’s got a gleam in his eyes when his gaze connects with Ford but it’s Peacock that replies. “Yeah, I got Marlon, best fucking hitman in the biz, already in place. Vinci will get a warm fucking welcome when he steps off that plane.”

  We spend the next hour going over some of the information about Esposito’s background. Before the meeting comes to an end Ricca asks if there has been any sign of Marco. But there isn’t anything to say except for the shit we already know. The fucker is either laying low long enough to try and take his revenge on Andy, or he’s left the country.

  Not that he would enjoy living a long and happy life somewhere on the beach of God knows where, because we’ve got eyes and ears everywhere. I’ll hunt him down to the pits of hell if I have to, so I’m absolutely sure that fucker is gone for good.

  Slight panic enters my chest when I stalk out of the room and scan the hallway. Tarzan shakes her head while Ruby and Karma walk to their men. “She went up to her room to change and pack a suitcase. No worries there, Afon. She’ll be right…ah, there she is.”

  There. She. Fucking. Is.

  She’s wearing a stunning white blouse that’s got a V so fucking deep in the front I’m wondering how her tits can stay put without bouncing around to greet me. The black skirt sways around her legs with a deep slit that allows her to show a little thigh. And then those heels, those high damn heels with straps to keep them on her pretty as fuck feet. For damn sure my slacks are tenting and I don’t care one fucking bit. That’s my future wife coming down the stairs.

  “See?” Ricca says, waving at me but talking to his three buddies. “Cock and tongue on a leash. That’s one of the damn reasons I won’t take a woman.”

  “Uh, Ricca…you sure, buddy? ‘Cause I swear you took a woman and have her hostage in your bedroom.” Fausto chuckles.

  I tune those fuckers out because clearly they don’t have a clue what it’s like. My boss, and those close around me, have found their woman and when I first saw Andy I knew she was meant to be mine.

  Cock and tongue on a leash, who fucking cares, as long as Andy has the reins, you’ll never hear me complain. “Where’s your suitcase, anima mia?”

  A stunning smile and a kiss on my damn mouth before she brings her lips next to my ear. “My brother is avoiding me, so I’m going to either come back tomorrow or have him bring them over himself…because, you know…I don’t trust anyone else. That way I can give him a piece of my mind.”

  The corner of my mouth twitches. I wouldn’t mind annoying the fucker myself too. “Come on, let’s go home.”

  She sways over to her friends, and I can’t put it any other way because that fine ass in black fabric is mesmerizing. Hugs are being exchanged by the girls while all Andy gives her brother is a glare before I place my hand at her lower back and guide her out the door.

  Chapter 14

  The last lollipop on Earth.

  ***Andy***

  It’s been almost three weeks since I woke up in Afon’s bed. So much has happened in this time. My mind wanders to Jakov’s funeral, Afon radiating strength, and yet I could see the sadness and hurt of losing a friend in his eyes. Thankful he opened up to me when we were together and shared some of his grief with me.

  Such a short period of time and yet a huge freaking difference. This man has been able to change so much in my life. Things I never even knew were possible. I crave him. It’s unbelievable, but I crave a man’s touch. Well not any man; him, Afon. But he hasn’t touched me in a sexual way since he gave me my first orgasm.

  The worst thing? He knows I crave him. It’s like he’s taunting me at every turn. Finger tips sliding over my back when he reaches for something, a kiss that wil
l curl my toes…then his eyes. All he has to do is look at me and my whole body flames up in tingles that settle between my legs. It’s becoming an impeccable source of frustration.

  Tomorrow is our engagement party. It would have been our wedding day if Afon hadn’t been so sweet to postpone it. Looking back, it was the decision that gave me so much more than he could ever understand. Yet now…if he didn’t postpone it…then we’d be married tomorrow and have a wedding night. One where he could not ignore me. Ugh. Frustrating because by postponing that made me open a door…to allow to see him in a different way. Dammit.

  So, engagement party it is. Does that one come with an engagement night? Or some kind of action? Ugh. My friends aren’t any help either. We’ve been meeting a few times every week again. We used to do that, workout together. Except now we need to do other workouts since two girls are pregnant, Karma and Ruby, so we can’t go around kicking each other during training. Normally I would go along with my brother, join the girls for a quick workout while the men discussed business, but now that I’m with Afon…with Afon. Shit.

  I glance at myself in the mirror. My whole face lights up when I think about that man. It’s bad enough that I can totally see how stupid I look with a goofy grin on my face. I did mention Afon knows I crave him, right? Dammit. Maybe I need a different approach; act indifferent. While being a sex-cat. That’s what Tarzan’s last text said in our group chat; release that inner sex-cat, lay on the bed, grab a vibrator, and give him a show.

  I did mention my friends aren’t any help, right? They all have brilliant suggestions. Karma told me to buy a red scrap of lace and bend over. Ruby? Well, hers had a little more detail with her instructions; Bite your lip, then lick it and make sure he watches you. Act like you’re thinking about something. Walk to him seductively, throw your hips out, and drop slowly to your knees. Take your time letting your hands trail up to his zipper, unleash your very own lollipop and lick and suck that thing as if it’s the last one on Earth.