Titan

by Esther E. Schmidt

  Shit. Why didn’t I think of it sooner? We don’t stash the majority of the guns at the house. We have a unit somewhere only my father, brother, and I know about. Well, and two of my father’s trusted men, Joey being one of them. Since my father was out of state, they might have seen their chance. What if my brother spilled the location, or Joey for that matter? I need to check...

  “We’ll handle it. My Prez is on it. What you need to do is to stop worrying and let me and my brothers handle it. You’re my Old Lady, I don’t want you thrown into the mix where you need to kill any more fuckers or disappear like your brother. Fuck that. I just found you. We’ll get your stuff and you’ll move in with me. We need to get to know each other anyway, and with all of this going on...I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

  I barely manage to bite back a smile. Though it’s an overwhelming demand, I know he means well, his possessiveness is actually making me feel treasured.

  Though he does need to realize, “I have a job you know. I might be on vacation, but I did have a life before you barged in and dragged me here.”

  “And what does my Old Lady do for a living?” He traces his finger along my jaw.

  “I’m a librarian. It’s highly rewarding when I can introduce young people to the love of reading. How much you can learn by reading a book, but also relax and enjoy. We have these theme days where,” I cringe.

  Here I go, blabbering about my job and most guys would fall asleep or look annoyed. I’d better quit before he thinks I’m boring, and have my nose stuck in a book twenty-four-seven.

  “Why did you stop? What theme days? For kids? Like storytelling with puppets and so on? I think we had those things back in France if I remember correctly. I used to love going to the library as a kid.”

  I’m sure my smile is blinding because Titan brushes his knuckles along my jaw and feathers a kiss against the corner of my mouth. I sigh in contentment and start to spill more details. He surprises me by asking questions and showing genuine interest. Like I said, it’s something I’ve never experienced with any man.

  “Thank you,” I tell him sincerely.

  His eyes widen in surprise. “What for?”

  “For being you, for listening to me.”

  “You’re my woman,” he tells me in that fierce and proud voice again. “I’ll always listen to what you have to say, and how else would I get to know you? I want to hear much more, every damn detail of your life. It’s a good thing we have all the time we need because you also have to endure hearing me talk about my life in France.”

  I might just swoon a little, this guy has the ability to make me do so on a regular basis, even more when he slips and uses a thick French accent. His strong arm goes around me and he drags me close, tilting my head to give me a kiss that makes my toes curl but he slows down all too soon. Or I must say...he falls a-freaking-sleep?

  Yes, he’s sleeping alright. His arm falls away and his head lolls to the side. Great, he’s a reverse sleeping beauty.

  Chapter 09

  ***Titan***

  Waking up has never been so fucking good when you realize you’ve got an Old Lady. I open my eyes but instead of seeing her, I come up empty. Surging up, I glance around the room. Nothing. I slide my hand over the mattress to feel it’s cold. Dammit she hasn’t been sleeping there for a while.

  Stalking into the bathroom, I see it’s empty too and try the door of my room and find it unlocked, the key in the lock. Motherfucker. She must have taken it out of my sweatpants when I was sleeping. I’m surprised at the amount of anger that courses through me. She must have snuck out of my bed when I fell asleep and put her clothes back on. Or maybe she went into the clubhouse because I slept for so long. I glance at the clock and realize I in fact did sleep for over six hours. Dammit.

  It’s not like she’s a prisoner but I kinda automatically jumped to, fucking hoped or demanded, whatever, she would still be right next to me when I woke up. The only good thing about waking up without her is the fact that my dry spell stays intact. Though I’m so worked up with waking up without her...I might just drag her back to bed if I find her sitting in the clubhouse surrounded by my new brothers.

  The need to mark my territory, and completely make her mine, is coursing through my veins. I should have made her stay, why the fuck did she leave my damn bed? Women never leave my fucking bed unless I kick ‘em out. Now I’m the one who gets thrown aside. Fuck. I need her back.

  I get dressed in jeans, a black shirt, my leather cut, and boots before I burst through the hallway. Right when I get into the main room of the clubhouse, I see my Prez talking with another guy who has three men standing behind him. Those four men aren’t wearing cuts.

  The one in front of Ronin is talking. “That’s why I came here to tell you it’s been dealt with. I got a call from them about an hour after I talked to you. We agreed to a trade, I would give them a shipment of guns, they would give me my son back. Those Mexicans should deliver him at the spot I told them. My guys are picking up the guns as we speak so I can go meet them in sixty minutes, but I need for you to come along for more than a little back up.”

  “I have a bad feeling about dealing with these guys. You know about the other gang, right? The ones they were a part of before they split up? They would kidnap people and demand ransom, get paid but kill the hostage anyway,” Ronin fires back.

  “Hence me stating I need you guys for more than just backup,” the man, who I now realize must be Billie’s father, says. His eyes meet mine briefly. “I need you guys ready to take ‘em all out. But I might have a good chance Luka is still alive.”

  “Why is that?” Ronin questions.

  Billie’s father smirks at me over Ronin’s shoulder. “I might have promised the fucker cash if he’d take on my daughter.”

  “What the fuck?” I bellow through the room. “She’s not yours, she’s mine. No one touches what’s mine.”

  “Ah, my suspicions were correct, you fit the description Ronin gave me,” the fucker who’s going to meet my fist says. “I was only kidding, the head of the gang I dealt with was a woman. Now, where’s Billie Jean?”

  I’m about to go insane and spew my fury, about the fact she left, about this fucker here who keeps trying to offer cash for someone to take my fucking woman, about...

  “I’m right here,” Billie says as she strolls inside the clubhouse.

  Believe me when I say I’m thankful to see her alive and well, but again...what the actual fuck. I stride past everyone and cage her in, bury my fist into her hair and pull it back so our gaze collides.

  “Why the fuck was your ass missing from my bed?” I whisper growl to prevent others from hearing.

  Her eyes dilate and those tiny fists of hers grab hold of my leather cut. “Because my ass is attached to me and I had to check something.”

  I growl again, and tighten my fist, demanding a more explicit answer.

  A gasp leaves her as she rushes out her next words. “I couldn’t sleep. I was hoping to crawl back into your bed without you knowing I ever left, but I guess that’s where I failed, huh?”

  “Yeah you did,” I answer, somewhat satisfied by the fact she didn’t run off and leave me, as I slam my mouth over hers.

  The moan I swallow from her is firing up my cock even more with the need to have her. But the clearing of a throat is the ice bucket I need to regain some sanity. Reluctantly, I pull away but make sure to tuck my woman underneath my arm to protect her. No fucking way I’m going to let her father come near her. Joke or not, he mentioned cash to pawn off my woman a-fucking-gain.

  Gust steps into the clubhouse along with Bark.

  “Is there any news about Luka?” Billie asks no one in particular.

  It’s Ronin who answers her. “They’ve made contact with your father, demanding a shipment of weapons. He managed to make a deal.”

  “Let me guess,” Billie groans. “He offered to throw me in the mix?”

  “Okay, that stops right fucking now. It’s on rep
eat so fucking much it’s not even considered hilarious anymore. The next time that offer falls from your mouth I will smack you against the wall, nail your arms and legs to it and punch your gut so many times your insides will be liquid,” I vow to the fucker who has no brains or value and respect when it comes to his own damn daughter.

  The fucker completely ignores me and addresses Billie, “Did you find out something I don’t know yet, pumpkin?”

  “They killed Paul and Lemmi and raided the storage unit. Was Joey with Luka? Because I’m fairly sure Joey’s dead then too since Luka would never give up the storage unit, and Paul and Lemmi would notice if they had a tail. They probably tortured Joey to get the info out of him.” Billie sighs.

  Her father visibly swallows. “I sent Paul and Lemmi to grab a few crates so we could make a deal with them. Luka was supposed to head out of town, Joey was taking over his shift. They weren’t meeting up, maybe they snatched both up separately. The woman who I made a deal with let me talk to Luka, he was still alive when I made the deal with her.”

  “Great.” Billie’s voice comes out as a snap but I’ve got her plastered against my side and I can feel her fucking shaking with emotion as she continues. “I guess there’s a ninety-nine percent chance Luka won’t survive this, even if you made a deal with them.”

  “We don’t know that for sure. Mariana reached out herself and she never mentioned Joey. She did however say her ex-husband, Alejandro, has been coming after her and might cause trouble, hence the reason she wanted a shipment of guns,” her father says and fuck. It irritates the shit out of me that I don’t know the dude’s name.

  I hold out my hand. “I think it’s time we officially met since your daughter is now mine. I’m Titan.”

  “Titan? I highly doubt that’s your given name, but it doesn’t matter now does it?” The man takes my hand and gives me a strong handshake back. “Ralph Bentiss. And it’s good to finally meet the first man who passes up cash to make my daughter his, and actually fights for her. Ain’t much I’m asking and been searching for. My little girl needs to be a man’s first priority, she deserves to be respected and cherished. It seems I can finally step back and stop worrying about her.”

  “Stop worrying? Are you kidding me? What’s this little confession supposed to mean, the fact you did this for years to screen guys to find the right one? Insane, that’s what it is,” Billie seethes. “You know what? Why don’t you offer your dick to that Mexican gang head, Mariana, so I can get my brother back alive. Offer her some cash along with it. Brilliant solution. Where’s your phone, I’m going to text her, and make it happen right now.”

  Ralph’s eyebrows go up and actual interest washes over his face. “That’s not a bad idea.”

  “Oh. My. God.” Billie sighs and buries her head in her hands while others around us start to chuckle.

  I guess I finally got the fucker to back off my woman and she turned the spotlight on him for a change.

  Chapter 10

  ***Billie***

  I can’t believe my father is actually thinking about the nonsense I just suggested. I knew he lost his mind when my mom left us, but this is insane. It’s been over ten years since my mother packed a bag and never looked back. There’s nothing much to say about why she left, other than; she wanted more money.

  She just stood up at the dinner table one day and said she didn’t want this life; two kids and a husband who held her back. She said she wanted to see the world. We were all stunned. My father was angry and tried to change her mind. But the doorbell rang and a huge black limo stood out front with some guy standing in front of it. She was gone within the hour and we never heard from her again.

  When we were older and asked him questions about her, he finally showed us all the credit card statements. He cut her off that day because she was spending all of the money. Money he needed to support us and the business. She said she was having an affair and basically traded him in for another guy with more money.

  Since my mother left, my father didn’t even so much as date or bring a woman home. I know I complain a lot about his ways, most of how he’s tried to compromise my dating life. Though with what he just said it might seem he did it for the sole reason to flush out the ones who had ulterior motives. A person like my own mother who cared more about money than him and her own children.

  I watch how he takes his phone from his pocket. Would he really send the woman a text to offer himself and sweeten the deal? Before he can light up the screen, I snatch the phone out of his hand and put it in my pocket.

  “You’re insane!” I seethe. “There’s no way I will let you do that. We need to know if Luka is still alive. If something happened to him, I will kill that woman myself. And do I need to remind you I saw two of our guys with their heads cut off and lying on top of each other in the storage locker? They have the weapons, Luka, and Joey. Why the hell would they agree to meet with you?”

  “Wait,” Titan rumbles from behind me. “You mentioned the new gang was the woman, right? With her ex wanting to ruin her for starting her own gang. What if she isn’t behind the kills in the storage unit? Do you know for sure she has both Luka and Joey? Or just Luka? You mentioned yourself they would have snatched them up separately.”

  “Luka was on his way to the airport,” my father says.

  “Joey wasn’t at the house when I got there...there was a Mexican guy going through stuff,” I add.

  “You’re right to question those things, Titan.” Ronin steps forward. “It would explain a lot. Do we have any background on the two of them? Why they split up?”

  Bark grabs a file from the bar. “It was an arranged marriage. Mariana spent years in Alejandro’s grip. Not that she’s a saint or anything but Alejandro is ruthless.” Bark hands out photos where bodies are piled up with their heads cut off.

  “That’s what we saw at the storage unit. The two headless bodies who were lying on top of each other,” I mutter, diverting my eyes from the gruesome photograph.

  “Any info about the new gang? The woman, Mariana? Is she really starting her own gang or did she want the weapons to arm herself? Protection from that ruthless bastard? I didn’t get any other info than a new gang who wanted to spread death and despair. It was the whole reason why no one wanted to sell them any weapons. But the rumor must have been spread by her ex-husband. Sounds logical, right? I should reach out and offer her a new deal,” my father says.

  “Shall I grab some of my toys and blow up Alejandro’s place?” Gust asks.

  Ronin rubs a hand over his mouth, thinking it through. I watch how all eyes are on the Prez before he gives Gust a nod. “Check out the place before you rig it. I heard they didn’t have any kids, but I need to make sure no innocent lives are lost when we decide to blow that place up.”

  Gust turns on his heels and rushes off. My father holds out his hand and addresses me. “Give me my phone back, Billie Jean, I need to make a call.”

  My eyes find Titan who gives me a reassuring smile. I release a deep sigh before placing my dad’s phone in his hand. He’s going to contact Mariana, not to offer himself, but to forge a plan to work together. Fingers crossed Titan is right, though it seems logical enough with everything that’s happened.

  “I need to have a little talk with my Old Lady, I’ll be right back, okay?” Titan says to Ronin and doesn’t even wait to hear his Prez’s answer but ushers me toward his room.

  My nerves are killing me and I divert my eyes. I’m pretty sure Titan is still furious about me leaving him like that, sneaking out without even leaving a note explaining my reasons.

  My heart squeezes painfully. It’s strange how someone manages to worm himself into my life and makes me adore him this fierce. “I’m sorry.”

  “You should be.” He breathes and swoops me into his arms and hugs me close. “Waking up without you was hell and it freaked me the fuck out.”

  “I’m so, so, sorry,” I whisper once more and explain in a rush why I left. “I needed to swing by the
storage unit to check if my brother was there. I asked Ronin and he made Bark and Gust go with me in an SUV. I knew you were tired and I knew it was too dangerous to check it out myself, but I needed to know. I was coming back to you.”

  His fingers slide into my hair, as he tightens it into a fist and tugs my head slightly backwards to crash his mouth over mine. His tongue demands access which I grant without a second thought. With everything going on, me killing a man, the horrific scene I stumbled on at the storage unit, what we just discussed in the main room of the clubhouse, everything...I decide to drown myself in this man’s attention.

  The way he adores me, stands up for me, and shows such fierce emotion with the thought of losing me. I choose him. The future might not be promised but the right now is solid. His touch, the feelings he brings out, makes me feel alive and worth every second of time this earth has to offer. And I damn well am going to take and enjoy it.

  I manage to rip our lips apart just long enough to breathe out my words. “Your dry spell ends now.”

  “Fuck, yes,” he growls and throws me on the bed.

  The air rushes out of my lungs while Titan is already stripping me out of my clothes. I watch how he discards his own right after. All the stress, drama, and consequences the air was tainted with falls away, leaving just me and Titan in this bed.

  “So fucking gorgeous,” he mutters to himself.

  His hungry eyes are set on my pussy. Leaning forward, he covers my clit with his mouth, robbing me yet again of the air in my lungs. His large hands push my legs further apart as he spears my pussy. Lazy licks heighten the pleasure he’s building inside me. I should be frustrated by the fact I can’t hold back the orgasm that crashes over me but in reality, my whole body lights up as I scream his name.