by B. B. Hamel
Then the last man entered, and I went entirely still. The man stared back at me, a look of surprise evident on his face.
It was Gage, dressed in a suit, and coming in to support Evgeni Popov, obvious mobster.
I stared at him but he quickly looked away, the surprise gone from his face.
I felt like my whole body was frozen in place. I couldn’t move and I couldn’t breathe. Gage had just walked in with a bunch of gangsters, and I felt so stupid, so fucking stupid that I hadn’t seen this coming. It didn’t even occur to me. I just never thought of it. I trusted him, believed in him. Hell, I wanted him.
Gage was in the courtroom. Gage was a gangster.
I sat there staring, and I didn’t know if I’d ever move again.
8
Gage
I downed the second shot and motioned for another. Ralph’s was busier than normal, and a lot of my mafia brothers were sitting in the booths quietly talking to each other. I knew what they were saying and had no interest in getting involved.
Everyone wanted to discuss the new pretty Assistant District Attorney. They couldn’t believe some young girl was willing to stand up to the mafia, and for the most part, the men were impressed.
But then there was the group that wasn’t so impressed. They were the ones that wanted to do horrible things to the new ADA to send a message to the whole fucking county: we are not to be messed with. They wanted to rape her, cut off her hands, cut out her tongue, and otherwise maim her until she ran away from Ashertown and never came back.
I couldn’t listen to it. I couldn’t listen to any of it. I was too busy staring at the bottom of my glass, the same thought running through my head over and over.
Sadie was the new ADA. Sadie, the girl I had slept with the night before, my ex-girlfriend, the woman that I fucking wanted to possess more than anything I’d ever felt before. Sadie was my enemy.
My people wanted to hurt her, and badly. They wanted to end her life, rip her to shreds, destroy her for going so hard after Evgeni. It wasn’t really about Evgeni at all, but more about what his conviction would mean for the rest of us. We couldn’t let them think they could get away with it. If they thought that prosecuting one of our own was easy then they’d start coming after everyone else.
We just couldn’t have it. We paid the cops a lot of fucking money over the years to look away, and we couldn’t have them cracking down all of a sudden. It didn’t matter if there was pressure coming in from the feds, we just couldn’t allow it to happen.
Fucking Sadie. I shot back my whisky and motioned for another. What the fuck was she doing working on this case? She had to know that it was fucking dangerous to try and convict a mafia man, especially one here in Ashertown. This was practically the wild fucking west, and she was trying to stick her nose where it didn’t belong.
I knew she worked in law, but I figured she was a clerk or something to a judge. I had no clue that she was an ADA. She was just so damn young, it never occurred to me that she had gotten so far so fast. I would be impressed if I weren’t trying to figure out what the fuck I was going to do about her.
My people wanted to hurt her, maybe even kill her, but I knew I couldn’t let it happen. They might even ask me to do it myself, whatever Vadik decided to do to her. When it came to cracking skulls and sending messages, I was one of the best.
Not in this case, though. The memory of her body came back to me, her wet pussy wrapped around my cock as I fucked her against my car. I felt so good that night, like nothing else in the world mattered. I forgot all about the mob shit, all about my stupid fucking problems. I was just a kid again fucking my gorgeous woman and that was all that mattered. The night was right and so was she, but now that all seemed ruined, tainted somehow.
Because someone in the mob was going to have to fucking kill her, and I didn’t know what I was going to do about it.
“What are you looking so fucking sad about?”
I half turned and looked at Boris. “Nothing,” I grunted at him.
“Tell that to your sad face.”
“The fuck you want, Boris?”
He shrugged and sat down next to me. He ordered a drink. “The guys are all talking about that pretty little lawyer. You know, that girl from the other night.”
“She’s the ADA.”
“What?”
“Assistant District Attorney.”
“Sure, whatever.” He slammed back his drink. “She’s fucking hot, though. Thought so when we first saw her, but fuck, she looks good in that sexy little suit.”
I clenched my jaw. “Is that all you wanted to say?”
“The fuck is the matter with you, man?” He shook his head. “You’re more of a dick than normal.”
I grunted. “Just don’t like this situation.”
“Ain’t no situation,” he said, laughing. “We’ll just break the bitch’s knees. You know?”
“Sure,” I said, clutching my glass.
“Might be kinda fun,” he went on. “Get her down on her knees, shove my cock down her throat. Then pinch her nose shut until she struggles.” He laughed.
I slammed my drink back, barely keeping myself under control. Boris was one sick fuck and he was always talking like that, but it wasn’t normally about a woman I wanted. Boris knew that I knew her, and Alex did too, but they didn’t know how well I knew her.
“You won’t do shit,” I said to him.
“Sure, I would, if the boss orders it. Just because you know her doesn’t change a thing.”
“No,” I said. “I guess it doesn’t.”
“I’ll still cut that bitch’s throat.” He grinned at me. “And then I’ll fuck her as she slowly dies. How fucked up would that be?”
I turned to him, grabbed the back of his head, and slammed his face onto the top of the bar.
He recoiled, gripping his nose, blood dripping down. “What the fuck!?” he screamed.
“Fuck you, Boris.”
“You fucking cunt.” He tried pushing me but I was up and out of the way already. “You broke my fucking nose.”
The guys were all looking, and some were even laughing. It wasn’t unusual for two mafia guys to get in a fight like that, although they might not like it when they found out that I did it to defend the new hated ADA’s honor.
I turned and quickly left the bar. I didn’t bother to look back or to answer any of Boris’s insults. It didn’t matter. I fucking lost control and that was a mistake. Now Boris was going to go bitch and moan to anyone that would hear about how I smashed his nose for talking shit on the ADA. They were all going to find out that I knew her, and some of them were going to question my loyalty.
I got into my car and started the engine. I started driving, not sure where I was going.
They were right to question me. I was questioning myself. I’d never in my entire life wondered whether I was loyal to the mafia or not. I grew up in the mafia. They gave me my work, gave me my life, and I owed them everything. I would die for the mob if I was ordered to, but this was suddenly turning me. It was insane.
All for a girl I hadn’t seen in a long time.
It was too late to take that shit with Boris back. Everyone was going to know that I knew her and there were going to be fucking rumors floating around. Some men were going to question my loyalty, and I was going to have to crack some more skulls to squash that shit. I knew I dug myself a fucking hole as soon as I smashed Boris’s piggy face into the bar, but it felt really fucking good.
As I drove, I realized that I was near Sadie’s hotel. Without really thinking, I had gravitated toward her, despite there being a million other places I could have gone to.
I pulled into the parking lot and stared at the lobby for a few minutes, trying to decide if it was a good fucking idea. She hadn’t called me, though I knew she knew who and what I was. I didn’t want her to find out about it that way and planned on telling her eventually.
I saw the look on her face when I walked into that courtroom. I
saw the shock, followed by the disgust. She turned away and did her best to remain professional, but I could still feel the tension in her body the whole time. I wanted to get the fuck out of there, but I wasn’t some pussy that had to run from my situation. I sat there with the rest of the guys, studying our opposition and putting out a show of strength.
Nobody gave a fuck about Evgeni. It was more about intimidating the opposition than anything else. And I could tell Sadie was fucking intimidated, not to mention thrown off at seeing me.
I got out of my car, slamming the door. Fuck this, fuck sitting like a little bitch in the parking lot. I marched into the lobby, got on an elevator, and rode it up to her room.
I walked down the long hallway and stood outside of her door for a minute, brooding. I knew this was a bad idea, and for a second I was paranoid that someone from the mafia followed me. But no, I was careful, and Boris wasn’t talking that fucking fast.
I knocked on the door and waited. I could see that there was a light on inside, and I heard someone shuffling around, but then nothing happened. I waited a minute and knocked again.
She was dodging me. “Sadie,” I called out. “It’s Gage. Open the door.”
No response for a minute.
I sighed. “Sadie, please. I just want to talk to you. If you don’t like what I have to say, I’ll leave and you’ll never see me again. I promise.”
Another short pause. “Are you alone?”
She sounded scared. “I’m alone, I promise.” I stepped back. “Look.”
After another few seconds, I heard the door unlock and it swung open. “Come in,” she said.
I stepped into her hotel room. She was wearing yoga pants, a plain white T-shirt, and her hair was piled in a messy bun on the top of her head. She looked ready for bed, but fucking gorgeous at the same time.
We walked into her room and she crossed her arms, staring at me. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It’s not something I typically lead with.”
“You’re in the fucking mob, Gage.”
“I know.”
“I told you not to do it. I begged you.”
“And then you left.” I shrugged. “I did what I had to do to survive.”
“You’re a criminal.”
“Yeah, I am.”
“My whole job is to put people like you away.”
“I know.”
“Why the fuck wouldn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t know you were the ADA. I didn’t know you were involved with Evgeni’s case.”
“Fucking hell, Gage. You and your mafia friends roll into that courtroom to what, scare me?”
“Yeah,” I said. “We wanted to show strength.”
“Bastard.” She shook her head. “I don’t want to see you ever again.”
“Sadie, listen to me. You’re in danger.”
“I know that. I’ve handled mafia cases before.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You have?”
“Back home. That’s why I moved out here, to get away from the mob out there.”
“And now you’re involved again.”
She sighed, exasperated, and sat down on the bed. “Yeah. Because I’m so, so stupid. This was a mistake, Gage, all of it was a stupid mistake. But it’s too late.”
“It’s not too late.”
She looked at me. “What do you know?”
“I’m on the other side.”
“Exactly. You’re the enemy.” She shook her head, staring at the floor. “I can’t believe this.”
“I’m not the enemy, Sadie. I’m not against you.”
“How could you say that?” She stood up, real anger on her face. “You’re everything I hate, everything I want to destroy in this world. You’re a gangster, a thug. You break the law just because you can and you hurt innocent people in the process.”
“I do what I have to do to survive. I get ahead in this world. The only thing that matters is strength, and I’m strong.”
“You’re strong, all right. Real fucking strong, Gage.”
I stepped closer to her. “I’m the man you used to know and I’m the man I’ve become. You know me, Sadie. You know I won’t hurt you.”
“How am I supposed to know that?”
“Everything we went through back then and everything that happened since you came back should tell you the truth. I won’t hurt you and I won’t let them hurt you.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew it was true. I knew I’d never let the mob touch a single hair on her head no matter what they decided to do. I realized how far I was willing to go for this girl in that single moment, even if she rejected me completely, even if she never wanted to see me again. I was going to protect her because she was good and she deserved to be protected.
I’d done a lot of bad shit in my life, and I’d probably do a lot more. But I had a chance to do something decent, to keep this girl safe and alive, and I was going to do it. I was going to try and find a way to do it without betraying my people, but if I had to betray them, well, so fucking be it.
“I don’t believe you,” she said softly.
I stepped closer to her. “Believe me, Sadie. The second I saw you I knew that you were mine. You were mine ten years ago, and now you’re mine again. I’d never let them hurt you, no matter what.”
“You’re a criminal,” she said. “You’re an asshole. You’re a liar.”
“I’m all of that. And you’re just mine. I can see it written all over you right now, you’re afraid of me but you’re not turning away.”
I stopped in front of her, inches away. She was practically trembling, her arms crossed over her chest, her lips parted.
“I have nowhere to run to.”
“You can run to me, and I’ll keep you safe. Fuck any man that wants to get near you. He’ll have to come through me first.”
“How can I trust you, Gage? You’re one of them.”
“I’m one of them, but I’m also Gage. I’m the person you’ve always known. I’m the man that makes your body tense, your mouth moan, your lips part. I’m the one that makes you grip the sheets and beg for more. Maybe I’m the villain, but you want me anyway.”
She shook her head but I reached up and took a handful of her hair. She gasped, her whole body tensed, her mouth hanging open.
“Admit I’m what you want.”
“No,” she said softly.
“Admit it.” I tipped her head back. She moaned softly.
“Gage.”
I pressed my lips against hers and kissed her hard.
9
Sadie
That arrogant bastard, that son of a bitch. He was a mobster, a liar, a criminal. He was everything that I hated, everything that I worked to destroy.
And when he kissed me, I knew that he was everything that I couldn’t resist.
When he first showed up at my door, I wanted to run away. I wanted to get out of there and get far, far away from him. Sitting in that courtroom with him there had been torture. I wanted to turn around and yell at him, beg him to make me understand how he could end up in the mafia, but instead I had to remain professional. My boss was sitting right next to me making sure that I wasn’t going to screw anything up, and having some wild outburst in the middle of the courtroom was definitely something he wanted to make sure I never did.
Instead, I was kissing him. His hands held me roughly against his body as he kissed me deeply and I couldn’t pull away. I didn’t want to pull away, even though I thought I hated him. I should have hated him at least. He was a mafia man, and his people were the reason that I had to run away from Seattle and the reason that I wasn’t safe in Ashertown.
It didn’t matter. None of it mattered. As soon as I was in his arms, his strong arms pulling me against him, I knew I was gone.
He pulled back and kissed my neck, tipping my head back. “You don’t have to believe me,” he said softly. “But you do have to give yourself to me.”
“I don’t know,” I gas
ped, barely able to talk. My pussy was a pool of wet and I wanted him so badly. “I’m supposed to hate you.”
“You can hate me. That doesn’t matter.”
“Why would you say that?”
I felt his smile against my skin. “Because it doesn’t matter. I don’t care if you hate me.” He moved back and took my chin, looking into my eyes. “So long as you let me take what I want, you can hate me.”
“Gage,” I whispered, but he was already kissing me again. I felt his hand slide down my yoga pants, finding my dripping wet pussy. I moaned into his kiss as he began to work my clit, fingers slowly rolling. I gripped his muscular arms, steadying myself.
He took my hips then and pushed me onto the bed. I landed and sat up on my elbows, looking at him. He slowly knelt on the floor in front of me.
“What are you doing?”
“You know what I’m doing.” He reached forward and easily peeled my yoga pants off, tossing them aside. He kissed my stomach. “I want to hear you say it.”
“No,” I said. “You can’t just come in here and start doing whatever you want.”
His grin was so maddening. “Do you want me to stop?” He kissed the inside of my thigh and I bit my lip.
“I didn’t say that.”
“I heard what you said. I’ll stop if you ask me to, but I know you don’t want that.”
“Asshole,” I said.
“Tell me what you want me to do.”
“I thought you wanted to take it.”
He laughed and pushed my panties aside. “I like to make you say it.”
“No.”
He pressed two fingers deep inside of me. I gasped, grabbing the sheets.
“Yes,” he said. “If you won’t say it, I’ll drag this out for hours. I’ll draw you to the edge, to the point where you’re begging me to finally finish you off, but I won’t. I’ll stop and watch you melt, groaning and frustrated.” His fingers slid in and out of me as he spoke, his eyes intense and smiling. “I’ll wreck you then bring you back, over and over again, unless you say what I want to hear.”