She told Lisa to take her time caring for her friend and let her know when she would be back to work.
Ending the call, Alda called Giada and let her know what happened as Alda gathered her things and started heading out of the office. It was a long day and she looked forward to a quiet evening at home. Giada was just as upset as she was and Giada said she was going to tell Dominick, Giuseppe, and Andreas what happened.
By the time Alda got off the commuter bus and onto the sidewalk a block from her apartment building she was feeling exhausted. Hauling her bag, attaché case, and a grocery bag with stuff to make grilled chicken, salad, and a little rice, she spotted the black SUV outside of her building. As she got closer the concerned feeling began to increase, and she stopped short the moment Royce and Train got out of the SUV. They looked at her and she slowly approached, squinting her eyes at them.
“We need to talk,” Train stated. He and Royce were big men. Tall, over six feet with muscles and very stern, hard expressions. In fact, she wondered if the two men even knew how to smile. At all.
“What about?” she asked.
Train looked at the walkway to her apartment building.
“Inside. Let us help you with those,” he said and reached for the grocery bag.
“Oh, thank you.” She stared at him and then at Royce, who looked at her, gazing over her business suit, and then motioned with his hand for her to go inside. She instantly obeyed, started to walk and then paused and looked over her shoulder.
She reached into her purse as they stood behind her, towering over her. She pressed in the code then slid her key card. Train pulled the door open and they entered the lobby. It was small, but set up nicely with planters and some chairs to sit in. There was another security pad by the stairs leading up as well as a small hallway then the elevators. As the doors opened two guys, Jack and Paul, came out, smiled at her and then squinted at Train and Royce.
“Hi, Alda. Everything good?”
“Yes, of course. Going to Dooley’s?”
“What do you think?” Jack asked and winked at her.
“Of course. I guess now we know why you keep declining our offers for you to join us. Have a good night,” Paul said as he and Jack exited. She avoided Train and Royce’s eyes. She had been avoiding Paul and Jack’s invites for a while now, and always made excuses. She just wasn’t attracted to them.
“Friends of yours?” Logic asked with an attitude.
“Not really. They live on the same floor as I do, that’s all,” she said and when they got to the fifth floor the doors opened and they followed her down the hall and around the corner. She unlocked her door and pushed it open, letting them inside. She walked ahead of Train. It was a nice two bedroom apartment, and she had a decent view of the back garden area and park the kids from the school played in.
“You can put the bag in here,” she said from the kitchen. It was an open floor plan. One large room containing a living room, kitchen and dining area that could fit six at a table. She pulled the chicken from the grocery bag and put it into the refrigerator then the vegetables, too. She folded up the bag, placed it into the closet and then washed her hands.
“Would you like something to drink?” she thought to ask the two men who stood there blocking her by the island in the kitchen. Even in high heels they towered over her, and she was nervous as could be. These were made men. Powerful, resourceful and their close proximity was making her feel claustrophobic.
“We’re good. We came by because we heard about a woman who wound up in the hospital from Giada. She said you were friends with her,” Royce said.
She shook her head. “I’m not friends with the woman who wound up in the hospital. You see, one of the women I work with, Lisa, she has a sister Maggie who shares an apartment with two other women, Cindy and Annie. Cindy was the one who wound up in the hospital. It’s terrible,” she said and looked at Royce wearing a black leather jacket and navy blue shirt underneath. His bold brown eyes were large and stood out, his cheekbones appeared carved from stone and he squinted at her as she turned away and looked at Train.
She went to move, to suggest they walk into the living room because she felt on edge having both men blocking her in the kitchen. Train tilted his head and let his eyes roam over her body.
“What do you know about what happened?”
“Why are you asking me?”
Royce moved behind her and she gasped and turned to see what he was doing and her hip hit the counter.
Train reached out and placed his hand on the counter. She turned again, leaning against the counter with her hands back against it.
“Are you afraid of us?” Royce asked.
She swallowed hard.
“No,” she said but even she could tell her response sounded lame.
“Don’t lie to us. Ever,” Royce commanded.
Train inhaled as he leaned closer, as if he were sniffing her hair. He reached over and fixed her necklace. She tilted her chin up toward him, feeling heated, confused.
“Why are you here?” she asked.
Train removed his fingers, letting the gold necklace slide through his fingers.
Royce spoke, grabbing her attention. He placed a hand on the counter by her hip and looked down at her. His brown eyes were fierce and she couldn’t look away from him. His other hand landed on her hips. She didn’t gasp. She didn’t want to show fear or intimidation.
“Giada gave us details about what went down with this woman, Cindy. Did the hospital say what kind of drugs were found in her system?” Royce asked her.
“No. They said it could be a few different ones. They didn’t quite have an answer for Cindy’s description of feeling like everything was slowing down around her, and then waking up in an alley not knowing where she was or being able to remember anything at all. She couldn’t even remember the two men who were dancing with her. They’re the ones the cops think put the stuff in her drink.”
“So they think it was powder form? Something quickly dissolvable?” Train asked and she glanced at him.
“I don’t know. It’s scary to think there are men out there that would do such a thing. Her friends feel terrible for not noticing anything suspicious about the guys or even her disappearing. Apparently Cindy’s hooked up with guys before and her friends figured she left with the guys.”
Royce stared at her.
“There are bad people out there, Alda. Men who think the only way to snag a beautiful woman’s attention is by drugging her and forcing her to be with them. This could be any form of date rape drug out there. The only thing that stands out and has our full attention is that this situation occurred at one of our clubs, and we’ve heard some rumors about some new drug being distributed at a high price and to select individuals. It may not be the same thing some guys gave this woman, but we needed to know more.”
“We want to stop this shit from coming anywhere near our places and the women who regularly party at our clubs, and the families’ clubs,” Royce said to her.
“Of course. I hope the police can find these men, but from my understanding things like this happen a lot, and there isn’t much they have to go by or concrete evidence either.”
“How about a rape kit? I’m assuming they did one and maybe they could get some evidence that way?” Royce asked. She flinched. He sounded so cold, even talking about such a terrible crime. She stared at him, forced herself to be strong, unaffected by the thoughts of such cruelty a man could inflict on a woman.
“They did, but she was cleaned up thoroughly. Like completely sanitized, as if these men or one man knew what to do to avoid being caught. It didn’t sound promising at all,” she said to them.
Train cupped her cheek and made her look at him. His hand was huge and she couldn’t help the intimidated feeling she had as he touched her. The man could break her with one hand. Holy God, what the hell am I thinking? She looked away, only for him to cup her cheek and clench her chin firmly. Was she stupid turning away from a man like h
im? One so powerful and capable? He was a made man. Shit.
“You promise us that you take precautions. Don’t accept any drinks from any men you just met, or leave your drink unattended. If for some reason you suddenly feel funny, make a scene. Draw attention to yourself and the people with you. Understood?” Train ordered. His tone, his expression were firm, commanding like he was reprimanding her, yet his eyes went from her eyes to her lips and for some reason she wondered what it would be like to be kissed by him. A man so big, muscular, and scary, as well.
She needed to snap out of this. She wouldn’t be some woman they could touch when they wanted, or beckon when they were in the mood for sex. That’s the kind of reputations they had. No commitments, no real attachments to anyone and especially not a woman. They had sex and were done with them.
So how crazy was it that she could sort of, maybe, understand why the women threw themselves at these men and would take whatever they could get? Yikes. No, no, no, be smart, be unaffected.
“I know, Train. I don’t even want to go out to Merchants Friday night but I promised some friends I would go.”
“Donata and Alessa?” Royce asked. She felt a little jealous and hoped these two weren’t interested in her friends. She glanced at Royce as Train released her chin.
“They might be there, but I’m actually meeting a few friends from an old job. We get together every few months or so and do dinner, drinks, and dancing. Anyway, I’ll be careful and take precautions.”
She went to move and Train gripped her hips, stepped in front of her and pressed her against the counter. She gasped, held on to his forearms and stared up at him, her head nearly to the top of her back, he was so tall. His eyes gazed over her top and she knew the blouse to her business suit probably gaped open.
“I’m serious, Alda. You need to be on guard at all times. Maybe not drink too much, not even to get a buzz.” He reached up and stroked her jaw. Her lips parted and she held his gaze.
“I’m a big girl, Train. I can take care of myself just fine.”
He clenched his teeth and narrowed his eyes at her. Apparently her reply wasn’t what he wanted to hear.
He lowered down closer. “You think you can, but this shit, whatever it is, is bad stuff. It leaves you helpless, unable to fight back, or resist what’s being done to you. A man or men could undress you, take turns…” He shook his head.
“Train,” Royce stated firmly. Train looked at her lips again and squeezed her hip bone then looked over her breasts and into her eyes.
“You mind my orders. You be on guard and ready for anything at all times, Alda. Men would do crazy shit for a woman like you. Crazy shit.”
Why did the man’s words, his hold on her, his eyes, fuck, his everything make her panties wet, her heart race and her body need more of him?
“Promise me,” he said and reached up and stroked her jaw.
“I promise,” she said in such a husky, sexy voice she made herself blush. His eyes widened a moment and then he released his hold and stepped back.
“We hope your friend is okay and gets through this,” Royce stated, eyed her over and then turned to walk away. She followed them on shaky legs and once again realized why women accepted whatever these men would give, even if it were just one night of sex.
Royce opened the door, his expression blank, eyes narrowed as usual. “Lock up when we leave,” he ordered her. She squinted, feeling offended, like they thought she was stupid or incapable of being aware and taking safety precautions, even simple ones like locking her door. She didn’t dare tell them about the guy who got into the building a year ago and forced a woman into her apartment down the hall, raped her and robbed her. It was scary to learn the details, but it eventually came out that Kelly had met this guy at a bar, didn’t lock her door and the man had been watching her and eventually followed her home.
This was New York City. You needed to be street smart and people smart. Bad things happened all over the world. There were bad people everywhere, but in order to lower Alda’s chances of becoming a victim, she knew she needed to be smart, stay aware, take precautions and expect the unexpected. This whole situation with Cindy, and the knowledge now that some new drug hit the streets and the nightclubs was a reminder that she and her friends had been lackadaisical. It was time to revamp and focus.
Train stared at her as he stood in her doorway.
“Mind my orders, Alda,” he commanded and then walked away. She closed the door and locked it right away then looked out through the peephole. Both men had waited and watched to listen to see if she locked up and obeyed their orders. She was going to lock the door either way, buddy.
She exhaled, feeling annoyed. Did they really think she needed them to tell her to lock up? She was freaking twenty-five years old, living in the city all her life. She’d seen some crazy shit, hell, experienced some, too, and…
She stopped raging as she inhaled the scent of their colognes still lingering in her apartment. She looked toward the kitchen and recalled them standing there, so big and attractive, commanding, sexy, and oh no. She was attracted to these men. Not just Train and Royce but Brew and Logic, too. How could she be so stupid? Brew fucked women. Yup, she knew this. Knew a woman who had the pleasure of being his bed mate for the night and she carried on like crazy about his tattoos and his aggressive behavior, taking her from behind. She fantasized about Brew. How many other women got to screw each of these men and fantasized about them? Still wanted them, never mind the new ones who maybe even stalked these men. Shit! Wake the frig up, Alda.
How could she, Alda Ruffinno, a twenty-five-year-old overworked businesswoman who had two lovers in her life, compete with that? She couldn’t. Hell, she wouldn’t. She hardly dated because men were always after sex. She shook her head and growled. Enough. I’m making dinner and relaxing. This week was going to be insanely busy. She would need Friday night to unwind and relax. She had looked forward to seeing her old co-workers. No more thoughts of Royce and his crew. No more.
Alda headed into her bedroom to change before she would prepare some dinner, have a glass of wine and eat alone. As she thought about that her crazy mind began to nag her. She didn’t have to be alone. She could have asked Train and Royce to stay for dinner. “Grrr. They are not good for me or my reputation. I won’t be one of those women. No way, no how,” she exclaimed and washed up before she headed into the kitchen. As more thoughts entered her mind about the men, she realized very quickly that she couldn’t stop the thoughts. She was one of those women she bitched about earlier. She was fantasizing about Royce, Train, Logic, and Brew. Son of a bitch. She needed to get them out of her head, and quickly.
Chapter 4
Train Meander had always been a hard man who lived a hard life. He did a lot of crazy shit, especially in college. He came from crap. Grew up in a shitty neighborhood, had to learn fast to fight with his fists, his mouth and attitude to get anywhere. He was always big. He and Royce, Logic, and Brew met in foster care. Abigail James was their saving grace. His heart ached just thinking about her. She was a damn angel. She didn’t need the aggravation they all put her through, that was for sure. Despite being taken care of, putting a roof over their heads and food in their bellies, they were still trouble-making men with strong spirits and so much to prove.
He narrowed his eyes and looked at his brothers. They were his brothers despite their different names, different parents and different stories of where they got free from. Once they got into Abigail’s home, things started to change for each of them.
He shook his head and exhaled. He hadn’t thought about his past, about the mistakes he made, even getting to go to college because of Abigail. The woman had money. She chose to live a simple life after losing her husband so young. They never had the chance to have kids of their own and taking in Train had helped her heal, but in reality saved his life. Fourteen and out of control until he was beaten to a pulp and left for dead. Abigail said she looked into his swollen eyes and she saw to his soul.
She told him he was special, and that she was going to give him a second chance at life. That he was her miracle. She had been working in the hospital volunteering and was there when the paramedics brought him in. Alone, living on the streets. She worked magic, finding out who he was, how he didn’t have parents who wanted him but instead gave him up.
He felt sick. Why the fuck was he thinking about this shit after all these years? He looked at the others. They each had their stories, their heartaches and him and Royce, hell, they were going to kill one another if it weren’t for Abigail. Royce had his heavy shit too and boy, did the two of them get in and out of some trouble they thought Abigail didn’t know about. He inhaled. Abigail would be proud of them now. Hell, she was proud when he graduated college, as did Royce, then Train and Brew, who fought it hard. They nearly lost him. Brew was in love with Cassie.
When she was assaulted one night at a party, Brew went crazy and fought the guy who sexually assaulted her. He beat him to a pulp, nearly killed him and two other friends of the guy. They pressed charges and he went to jail. Then Royce and Train found out that Cassie had been seeing the guy behind Brew’s back, and that night had sex with multiple men. All lies, the woman betrayed Brew and he wound up serving time. It changed Brew that was for sure. It was also the main reason why the man never took women seriously, and focused on working out, taking care of business, and being a soldier for made men like the Coglonie.
They each fit in well here, Royce getting on with Giuseppe while in college. He slowly brought each of them in. Got them hired by Dominick and Andreas, who worked out and trained with Brew and Train. Logic thought his business mind and accounting specialties lay elsewhere, like in the professional business world, but he soon realized how boring that was, and how less profitable, too.
Made Men 8: All or Nothing (Siren Publishing Menage Everlasting) Page 6