by Moore,Mary B
“Whatever. Show me around.” I led the way back downstairs. Once we got to the front door, he took over and led me to his bar. It was so much cooler than I expected, even though it was full of Broncos helmets and Jerseys.
“So this is my place. What do you think of the setup?”
“Well it isn’t so bad. Although I think you could change the Broncos gear with the Bears.”
“Yeah, not going to happen. If I’m not going to feel the wrath for the Cowboys, why would I do it for the Bears? Sorry sweetheart, try again.”
“It was worth a shot.”
“Not if you want to get shot. These boys up here take their football seriously,” he replied.
“Do they, now? I get to bust their chops. Awesome,” I said with an exaggerated nod.
“Give them hell, Yaya,” he approved. I loved football and even though the Broncos won the Championship their odds of winning again was less. My Bears and his Cowboys weren’t going to do any better according to the stats, but we weren’t fair-weather fans. So if they won it all or only won a game they were still our teams.
After about two hours into my first shift, the owner of the tire place called Brent and told him that he couldn’t send someone out until the next day. Brent told him it was fine because there was an accident down the road and luckily everything was okay, but they needed to handle the tow of both cars.
“You can borrow my car while I’m gone, but I know they’ll take care of it tomorrow.”
“Do you need me to drive you to the airport?”
“No, I have a friend of mine picking me up but thanks.”
~~~~~
The next morning, I was all alone in the apartment. Brent was gone and that meant I was the boss for the next week. Nerves struck me. I was going to meet his staff. There were three other employees, and I knew they wouldn’t like me since I was an interloper. Brent told me that was nonsense because they were all nice.
I hurried down there to see four people waiting for me. One guy was leaning over the bar with his elbows. The two women were sitting at a table with the handsomest man I’d ever seen. I took a big gulp of air because suddenly I felt like I couldn’t breathe. My eyes immediately moved to his. Brent only had three staff members here so who was the other person. The man in the chair stood up and I took a step back. Holy shit, what did they feed people here? I really hoped the over grown six foot something giant wasn’t a part of the staff. The feeling rushing over me just from the first glance hit me like a brick wall. It straight up lust. I wanted to climb up him and grind my untouched body against his strong one.
“Um, hello, everyone. I’m Sonya, and I’ll be holding down the fort for Brent until he comes back. Although, I’m sure it will be simple since he raved about his team,” I said without taking my eyes away from the man in jeans and a black tee shirt that hugged the muscles on his arms.
One of the chicks at the table noticed my gawking and said, “Don’t worry, he’s a gentle giant. He won’t bite and he doesn’t work here.”
“Oh. So what are you doing here?” I asked with a sassy tone. I didn’t mean to but why did mister perfection just mosey on in here when he didn’t even belong and fuck up my cool no nonsense way of managing a bar. It wasn’t time for the bar to be open for another five hours so it was a fair question.
“I’m here to fix your flat apparently.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Oops, he worked for the tire place. I didn’t mean to be rude to him.
“No sweat.”
“Here’s your water, Shane,” the guy who’s name I couldn’t remember for the life of me at the moment handed the mechanic.
“I’ll be outside. I’ll let you know when I’m done,” he grumbled, strolling out of the place like he didn’t just knock my world off kilter.
“He’s not available, honey,” Mack said. That was it his name. As soon as the big guy gave me room to breathe I could remember the other guy’s name. I was in big trouble if he came back in during working hours.
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EXCERPT
Deidre ~ 18th birthday
As soon as the clock struck midnight, Deidre was gone. Creeping out the old windows of her boarding school was easy as pie. Climbing the barbed wire fence, not so much. Aside from the cuts all over her legs and arms, she managed to do it.
Not looking back, she ran into the street trying to get as far away from the horrible school as she could before they did the nighttime bed check in an hour. Legally, she was free to do as she wished now that she was eighteen; however, her father and the nuns didn’t see it that way.
She’d been rebelling against any authority for as long as she could remember. The only people to ever give a damn about her had already left, so what was the point of trying to be accepted? She couldn’t live life for anyone else anymore. It was time for her to take control and do what was best for herself.
Since arriving in Lugano, Switzerland a little less than seven years ago, she’d not had a single moment for herself. Every day was planned. Every minute was scrutinized. Maintaining a strict diet and exercise regimen had been expected from the moment she got there. Feeling more like she was being trained for something than receiving an education.
What little she had been able to see of Switzerland from behind the confines of the school was stunning. The small city they were in was surrounded by gorgeous mountains and covered in a variety of full green trees. She couldn’t begin to name them other than to know they were beautiful.
Lake Lugano bordered the breathtaking city, sharing its eastern shore with northern Italy. That was what she was banking on to be able to exit the country. She’d heard from other girls that had been allowed to leave the school that there were boat taxi’s waiting to take her right into Italy and from there, she could rent a car.
The only reason she had any money was because her mam had been sending her some as often as she could, and she had saved every euro since she arrived. By her estimation, she had roughly fifty thousand Swiss Francs. Hopefully enough to get her to Ireland and her ma.
She had to wait on going home, though, because she knew her dad would search for her there. The waiting would be the hard part. Her mam didn’t know she was coming, so she might be worried if he showed up there looking for her, but she couldn’t risk him finding her. Something was going on with him; he’d been checking in more and more of late. It was suspicious.
*****
Four months later
Italy was stunning. The ocean. The sunsets. The villas. It was almost magical, but Deidre’s time was coming to an end. She had stayed longer than anticipated. At one point she even feared her da had found her, but it was her imagination.
When she first arrived in Italy, Dee had no idea what she was doing or where she was going. She’d rented a car in Milan under a fake identity her mam had sent her two years ago. This had always been the plan, and without her ma’s help, she never would have been able to execute it the way she had.
Since arriving, she’d been more isolated than ever before, unwilling to risk making friends or being seen very often in town just in case her father’s cronies were out looking for her. She stuck close to the isolated beach she was living on, only leaving if it were necessary.
When she’d been at the local market one Saturday, she witnessed one of the most heart-breaking scenes of her life: A young woman having a panic attack or a flashback. She still wasn’t sure which. What she did know was that the person, who’s name turned out to be Kennedy, was one of the most broken women she’d ever met. She felt for her. Knew the loneliness that ate away at them both was slowly killing them.
It hadn’t taken long before they realized they lived right next to each other. The need for isolation had them wary at first, but it wasn’t long before they met up on the beach for early morning walks, watching the sun set, and that soon progressed into having lunch together. They talked about frivolous things or nothing at all. Neither wanting t
o delve too deeply into who or what they were running from.
Ken was lucky, though. She had family who cared. Two gorgeous men who came to her rescue at a time when she was ready to give up. Deidre was lonely. So lonely, she had almost risked going home too soon. But first, she had to make sure she was out of her father’s clutches. She was almost home free, too. She’d spoken to her mam that morning and finally got the confirmation that the coast was clear so to speak. That her da’s men had left the area about a week ago, and she could start slowly making her way home. Which was good because she was nearly out of funds.
Excitement filled Dee at the thought of finally moving back to her native Dublin. She missed the bustle of the city, the congestion that was too many people and not enough homes. The smoky air. The rolling green fields and mountains. She was ready to go home.
A knock on her door pulled her out of her reverie. Figuring it was Ken coming to check on her, she didn’t bother to see who was there.
Big mistake.
*****
He’d been watching Deedee for a little over two weeks now. She was isolated, kept to herself except for her one neighbor, a cute little redhead around her age. He still couldn’t believe the connection they all had. He’d been kidding in London when he saw the Black twins. He hadn’t actually thought they were all so close together in Italy, let alone for nearly the same reason—to collect a woman.
Yet here he was ready to call on an old debt. As far as Dominic was concerned, once he brought Dee home to her father in London, she was free to go as she pleased. He wasn’t even certain why Bradshaw wanted to see her, so he’d have to be on his guard while they were there.
Bradshaw had his hands dipped in more illegal shit now than he had eight years ago. His day was coming. Whether by Dominic’s hand or someone else’s was what remained to be seen. He’d lived too long and seen too much to let the man go, though.
So much had changed since he’d last seen Dee that fateful night so long ago. It took him a long time to realize just how big a part of his life she had played in such a short amount of time. She brought him light and happiness when he was shrouded in a world of gray.
After losing her, he’d tracked her down needing to know she was, in fact, still alive, so he didn’t have to unleash the depths of hell on her father for no reason. When he did find Dee in the all-girls school, she’d looked miserable, but they treated her all right, so he’d left her alone. Not wanting to disrupt her life until necessary, he took as many jobs as he could until Brooke...He’d fallen in lust with her so quickly, he still had whiplash.
Brooke had been the sister to one of his new “bosses”, innocent, sweet, and young. Or so he’d thought. Turns out he was a job to someone else, and she was sent to dupe him. Get him to flip on whatever faction he was working for at the time. What no one seemed to realize was that he never knew exactly who he was working for at any time. Only the job, the pay, and a contact. It was all he needed to know.
He could admit he’d fucked up. Brooke seduced him. Failed her mission and disappeared.
Now, here he was four years later with more baggage than he ever thought he’d have at his age.
He was ready to go home. Retire. Live out the rest of his days before he was marked.
When the door opened, he knew his plans just flew out the fucking window.
When did Deedee grow the fuck up? He took in her stunning form.
“Dominic?” she whispered huskily, throwing herself into his arms in surprise. Shit. He should not be having these feelings for her. When the hell did she become so gorgeous? Or grow into a woman?
If she kept squeezing him, she was gonna feel something completely inappropriate to their relationship. “Dee, when the fuck you grow up?”
A blush covered her chest and slowly went up to her cheeks as she pulled away shyly. Tucking some strands of hair behind her ear, she ducked her head and shuffled her feet. “Why are you here?”
A deep sigh left him, knowing that what he was about to tell her, she wasn’t going to like. “Can I come in and talk?”
“Oh. Sure.” She stepped back and turned to walk into her small kitchen. He got a good look at her now womanly body and nearly groaned in appreciation. Hourglass figure, tight, toned body only a girl of eighteen could have. Fuuuckkk! Eight-fucking-teen. His brain and heart got the message, his dick not so much. Down you horny fucker. Clearly, three years of abstinence was a bad idea.
Insecurity and worry were written across her face. Knowing he was the cause didn’t sit well with him and realizing he was about to make it worse, didn’t make him feel any better. “How you been, Dee?”
“Huh?” She seemed lost. More so than he’d ever seen her before. Granted he hadn’t seen her in over seven years, but a zebra doesn’t change his stripes, and she’d always had a strong personality. “Fine, I guess. Glad to be away from everything.”
“Princess…?”
Finally looking at him, she seemed to really see him for the first time. “Where did you go?” Her whispered words nearly broke his heart. “Why did you let him take me away?”
“Fuck, Princess. There are things you don’t know. Things you might not understand. I didn’t let him take you away; you better fucking believe that.” He needed her to know he didn’t abandon her. He would never have deserted her.
“Then why? Do you know what they did to me that night?” The pain and horror on her face, the stark fear that lingered so many years later had him questioning if he’d done the right thing.
“Tell me.”
She looked at him like he was straight up nuts. As if he had no right to know why she held so much fear in her.
“Screw you, Dominic! You lost the right to know anything about me a long fucking time ago!”
She was pissing him off now. Did she not know she was his now? He was gonna let her go and do with her life as she had pleased, but now? Now, he had this need to own her. To show her just what he could and would do for her. Starting with destroying her father and any other cocksucker who’d ever hurt her.
“Don’t push me, Princess,” he growled, stepping towards her. She shrunk into herself for a second before remembering just how much she used to love pushing his buttons and fighting back. He was glad to see she still had it in her.
“Excuse me?” she retorted. A sardonic smile lit his face as she got frustrated with him. Stomping her feet and grumbling.
She was sexy when she was mad.
Fuck.
He had to stop thinking like that.
Only he couldn’t.
She was going to be his, and God save anyone that tried to get in his way.
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EXCERPT
CHAPTER ONE
LEN
Scared doesn’t even begin to describe what I’m feeling right now. Looking at my shaking hands, at the note left on my car windshield, I’m not sure what to think. I‘m trying to figure out who would send it. I have never lead a guy on. How could I when I’m still stuck on the one guy who thinks of me as his best friend’s annoying little sister. Hearing those words spoken from him broke my heart, but what shattered it was when I’d heard them talk about becoming Navy Seals. Not only was I losing the one guy I had loved since I was twelve. I was losing my brother as well.
Don’t get me wrong, I support my troops, but I was so scared that they were going to die in combat. I’m not dumb, being a Navy Seal is a big thing. I knew that meant dangerous missions without knowing if they were okay. I did all I could in supporting them. I sent care packages, wrote letters, and helped with charity events to raise funds. I visited my brother when he was stateside, a difficult task with me being in school, then in college, and then during my residency to become a doctor. I am still doing my residency to become an ER doctor at Center Point Medical Center, but I’m even busier now since they have hired me fulltime.
It helps that my family moved back to Kansas City when I went to college. E
ven Momma Gio and Papa Tony followed along with the boys in tow. They said they were ready for a change and wanted to join their second family. Now, Neil is done with the Navy and has opened his own security business. Dante joined him in the business.
I haven’t seen Dante since his return. I haven’t seen him in nine years. I have no clue what I’m going to say to him. I don’t want it to be weird, but I know it will be. Ever since the day they left, I have had to re-evaluate my feelings constantly.
The chaste kiss he had placed on my lips had not only scared me, but had given me hope. It would have with any sixteen year old girl who had just had her first kiss. But then letters from my brother about the crazy crap they were pulling well and the woman that Dante was screwing, well that changed everything.
“Neil will be with you shortly, Len,” Sara, my brother’s receptionist, tells me as she walks back to her desk.
“Thank you, Sara.” I go and take a seat then look back at her and add, “We really need to set up that girls’ night we keep talking about. I miss hanging with you guys.”
“You’re the one who’s always busy at work. Call Ashley and tell her your schedule. Then we’ll see about getting you in the club and finally getting you a man. We both need a man. We really need to get laid!” she says and then rolls her eyes at the outburst that comes from Neil who is in the next room.
“What the hell are you talking about? I don’t ever want to hear about my sister getting laid,” Neil growls out as he joins us.
I don’t miss the look of heat he shoots Sara. I start giggling because I know Neil wants her and she wants him; however they are both so oblivious of each other’s wants. I stand up with the letter in hand and walk over to him.
“Aw, there, there, care bear, that doesn’t concern you. I’ll do what I want, when I want. I’m twenty-five years old, not twelve. If I want to sleep with a man I will,” I say, giving Sara a mischievous wink.