by Kim Jones
26
DIEM
THINGS COULD NOT get any more fucked up for me than they already were. I finally make it to the top, which wasn’t an easy task, only to be constantly pushed back down. I expected it, really I did. From everyone, even my own father. But not from him. Zeke, or Shady, whatever in the hell his name is, will never be able to look at me as his superior.
I’d gained a little respect from him today, but I was afraid with that, I was losing the love he once felt. But me? I can’t get him out of my head. I’ve never loved this hard before. I’ve never needed something so bad. I can control the want—I’d done it for years. But this is a longing . . . a need that only he can suffice. I feel like I have to have him to breathe . . . to eat . . . to sleep . . . And sometimes I think he feels the same way. But mostly, I think he feels nothing.
My plan to take Clark out is nothing more than a distraction. I’m confident that Shady and Rookie will figure it out before things get ugly. Actually, I’m counting on it. There is no other way for me to escape them, and I have to do this alone. Two years of my life were spent preparing me for this one moment. If I succeeded, it would be my greatest accomplishment. If I failed, the blowback would be devastating to the entire organization.
A part of me is a little excited that I’ll finally get to play that damsel in distress role I’ve read about in books. I’ve never been able to before—mostly because you can’t fake weakness, or at least I can’t. Sure, I’d love to just fall down, break a leg, and have Shady come running to my rescue. But that sickness inside me wants more. I want to push him to his limits and see just how far he’s willing to go. Hopefully, he’s as smart as I think he is.
Clark and Shady just left, and Rookie is waiting for them at their destination. Shady is smart enough to cover his own ass if Clark starts getting suspicious, so I’m not worried about things going south. I am, however, worried about things going south for me. I’m quick and skilled with a gun. I’m fast on my feet. But my size is my biggest disadvantage. And taking on Fin by myself might get a little ugly if things don’t go as planned.
I meet Fin at a bar we’ve met at plenty of times before in downtown Allentown. My stomach rolls with disgust just at the sight of him. But I flash a smile and force my cheeks to heat by imagining Shady is talking dirty to me. Fuck, I love when he talks dirty.
“Damn, baby. You lookin’ good.” Fin whistles, making me want to claw my eyes out. Instead, I curtsy.
“Jeans okay? Am I underdressed?” I ask, batting my eyelashes like a teenage girl.
He shakes his head, pulling me down on his lap. “No fucking way. I love them jeans on you.” I grab his drink, rolling my eyes when I turn away and replacing my smile after I down it.
“Did you bring it?” I whisper, contemplating biting his ear but deciding against it. I think that would be considered cheating. Although the big boner pressing up against my ass might be considered cheating too.
“You know I did,” he says, giving me a list of every Death Mob member who decided to go rogue right after Sinner’s Creed refused to give up Texas. I take the jump drive from his fingers, sliding it into my back pocket.
This is supposed to be the part where I kill him and walk away. We’re alone in the back room that I reserved without his knowledge for that particular reason. But what fun is that? Tonight, I want to be rescued. And I need to test Shady’s loyalty. If he shows, he’s my guy. If he doesn’t, then he’s not the man I think he is.
“I’m ready for the army. Imagine the look on Sinner’s Creed’s faces when we take over Texas. I hope that prick Shady is there. I plan to make him suffer.” He stares off in the distance; the mere thought of killing Shady is enough to put him in lethal mode.
Fin is under the impression that I’m going to take out Dorian. Having no one else to take his place, the elders would be forced to put me in charge. During that time, I was going to give Death Mob Texas, and name him as the new leader. He’d gathered me a list of names and numbers so I could contact them. I made some bullshit excuse that I had to do extensive background research to ensure they weren’t working with the feds or Sinner’s Creed. Like the idiot he is, he fell right into my trap.
Sliding my hand across his face, I turn his head back to look at me. “Just remember. It’s our little secret. At least until I can get rid of my daddy.” I almost choke on the word. Daddy. I hadn’t called him that in years. It was forbidden because I wasn’t his daughter anymore . . . I was his employee.
“I’ll keep your secret, baby. As long as you keep your promise.”
I give him a wicked smile. “I always keep my word.” Just not this time.
* * *
We’ve been here two hours and I can’t put his invitation to go back to his place off any longer. The room is now filled with people thanks to a shitty hostess, and Shady has yet to show. Already my plan is turning to shit. And I’ve worked this motherfucker up so much I’m afraid his dick might explode.
With no other option, we leave and he keeps me pressed possessively into his side. The small .38 I carry in my purse is enough to do the trick. I’ll just have to wait until we get back to his place to use it. I won’t have the time to attach the silencer, so it will have to be a fast kill and an even faster getaway.
My heart sinks with every step I take toward his hotel. I can’t blow this. I can’t shoot him now, because the streets are crawling with witnesses. I can’t just turn and run either. Then he’d know something was wrong. If he did, the past two years of my life will have been for nothing. He is a job. I have to see it through.
If I’d just stuck to my original plan to kill him here, I wouldn’t be in this predicament. But I’d put my own selfish needs before my family. I wanted to prove to Dorian that Shady was the man I needed at my side. If he showed tonight and saved me, then both of my goals would be accomplished. But if I didn’t succeed in killing Fin and escaping, then I’d be putting the whole Underground at risk. And I’d be losing Shady too.
As we pull away, a deep sadness comes over me. Zeke didn’t come. Shady had left me alone. I loved both sides of him equally, and they were both gone. Either he was too stupid to figure out my plan, dead, or didn’t really care. If I was a betting woman, I’d put my money on the latter.
27
SHADY
SOMETHING’S UP WITH Diem. The more I think about it, the more I think she’s playing me. I don’t know what she’s really up to, but taking out Clark is just a distraction—I can feel it.
She knew Rookie wasn’t in that room. But she wanted it to look like I forced her to add me into the conversation. As much as she wants respect, she would do everything in her power to get it. So to get inside her head, I think about what I would have done.
First, I’d have pulled the trigger on my right-hand man myself. I’d prove that no man was safe from my wrath. But she didn’t. Instead she put it in the hands of Rookie—a man she doesn’t trust near as much as she trusts me.
Second, Dorian wouldn’t have sent her away with Clark if he felt like he was a threat. Diem wouldn’t have allowed herself to fall asleep in the company of a man she couldn’t trust either. Clark wasn’t guilty of anything, he was just collateral damage.
Third, if he really wanted to kill me, he would have known I was smart enough to carry a weapon. A man in his position doesn’t get where he is by underestimating guys like me. Plus, how could he get me in a vehicle without a gun? He knew I was packing, but just to be sure, I made it a point to show him.
We’d discussed guns. We’d compared holsters. He admitted to hearing a rumor that I was one of the best shots ever seen. He didn’t want to kill me. He hadn’t betrayed Diem either. And when I fake a call from her and inform him that she wants me to stay and let him and Rookie handle the problem, he doesn’t question me. That’s because he knows Dorian trusts me. So Diem’s story wasn’t a complete lie.
I fill Ro
okie in on what’s happening, and he agrees to distract Clark by actually visiting a couple of Death Mob chapters in the area. Come to find out, that’s what Clark was instructed by Diem to do all along. Now I just have to find her before she does something stupid or gets herself killed.
My only lead is Fin, who becomes my main suspect when I find that he booked a room in Allentown under his legal name. Fucking amateurs. I start there, but find his room empty. I could wait, but if Diem was going to meet him, she damn sure wouldn’t do it here.
I drive around, my anxiety building. Fin is a big guy. She couldn’t take him on by herself. If she shot him, she’d have to do it somewhere discreet, but somewhere she could make a quick getaway from. Pulling up a satellite image of Allentown on my phone, I notice a site just outside of downtown that looks like an old warehouse. I match it with the lists of Death Mob clubhouses in the area, and find that the address isn’t exactly the same, but similar.
My emotions are everywhere, but fear takes precedence. I’m not used to the feeling. But where she is concerned, fear is all I feel.
Fear of losing her.
Fear of her hurting.
Fear of not being able to protect her.
But most of all, I fear that Sinner’s Creed isn’t my greatest love anymore.
28
DIEM
I’VE NEVER REALLY been scared in my entire life. Even when I was a little girl, I was fearless. I often pretended to be afraid because I got attention from it, but it was just an act. In this moment though, I’m terrified.
It’s not my only life I’m scared for, it’s everyone else who will be affected if I don’t succeed. Dorian is a dick, but he is my father and he believes in the Underground. Hell, he lives for it. His life is absorbed by it. My grandparents, uncles, cousins . . . my entire family is at stake. If I fail, Dorian fails. And if Dorian fails, the Mafia will never forgive him. They will turn on him, and any who choose to stand beside him will be guilty of treason.
He’d put all his faith in me. The whole family had. Now I was so scared I would fuck it up that I couldn’t even focus on my task at hand.
Fin’s room is located at the very end of the hall, on the eighteenth floor, right next to the maintenance room that has to be opened with an electronic card. I count the seconds it takes to get there, and guess that I could get to the stairway in less than five.
I’ve been pretending to be intrigued by what Fin is telling me, but he’s just rambling about his plans to buy a private island, so I don’t pay him much attention. When he opens the door, I walk in and head straight to the minibar that has already been picked over.
“So you gonna wire the money now?” he asks, and I can tell by his voice that he’s growing impatient.
Sitting on the edge of the desk, I sip from the whiskey bottle and try to look sexy in an attempt to distract him. “Is it just about the money with you, Fin? I thought you liked my company.”
His eyes drag slowly up my body, taking in my tight jeans and sleeveless silk top that accents my cleavage. There ya go, big boy. Think with your other head. I can control it better.
Pulling my lip between my teeth, I widen my eyes, feigning innocence and lust. “How about I freshen up first, then we can talk money.”
He walks closer, every step making my heart pound harder in my chest. But I appear unaffected. “No need to freshen up, baby. I like my bitches a little dirty.” Without warning, he grabs my wrist, slinging me onto the bed. My purse falls to the floor, too far out of my reach.
The look of horror on my face doesn’t go unnoticed, and for a minute I think he’s going to leave me alone. But then, he grabs my purse, retrieving my gun and holding it up for me to see. “What’s this for?” he growls, his face turning almost purple with anger.
I force a smile, trying to play it off, but my voice doesn’t sound right. “I always carry a gun, baby. You know that.”
“Baby, huh?” he huffs, shaking his head. “You ain’t never called me baby.” I stiffen the moment I see that lightbulb go off in his head. “You’re fuckin’ playin’ me, ain’t you?” I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. “I’m going to fuck you up, but before I kill you, you’re going to make that call and give me my money.”
Narrowing my eyes, I dig deep and find the strength I know I have inside me somewhere. Love was for pussies and it had weakened me. I force myself to push thoughts of what will happen to Shady, to Dorian, and all of my family to the back of my mind. If I’m going to die today, I’m going to do it with my fucking dignity.
“I’m not giving you shit,” I spit, feeling the sense of satisfaction spread through me like warm honey at the look on his face. “You think you’re gonna accomplish something by killing me? Dorian has ten more in line to take my spot. Do your worst.” I throw my arms out, inviting him over.
“Oh, I know your death will likely mean nothing. But I can guarantee that I will enjoy doing it. Don’t be so quick to invite me over, sweetheart; it’s gonna be a long night for you. But first, the drive.”
He holds his hand out. Like hell I am going to give it back. I only have two options—lay here and die, or get up and fight. Unlucky for him, I’m a fighter. He moves quick, fisting his hand in my hair and backhanding me hard across my face. I spit back at him, which only earns me another slap that immediately has my eye swelling.
Like a switch, I turn it all off and feel nothing. I’ve been here before and this time is no different. Pain is weakness to me and I refuse to feel it in this moment.
Pulling back my leg, I kick him hard in the shin. He grunts, tossing me back on the bed. Straddling me, he rips open my blouse. I let him get all of two seconds with the bare breasts beneath it before putting my knee in his crotch. His face contorts and I waste no time gouging my thumbs into his eyes. It’s enough of a distraction to get out from under him and I’m on my feet.
He’s gathering his bearings by the time I make it to the door, and I can see the gleam of his pistol out of the corner of my eye. Knowing I won’t be able to outrun his bullets, I rush into the hall and pray like hell the maintenance room is by some chance unlocked. Before I can twist the handle, it’s opened and I’m jerked into the darkness as a hand covers my mouth.
“Shhh,” I hear, and I whimper with relief as the smell of Shady engulfs me. His hand presses further into my mouth, silencing me as Fin shuffles around outside and tries the handle. Putting his back to the door, Shady’s arm goes around my waist, holding me to him, and I know it’s to protect me in case Fin is stupid enough to shoot.
Moments later, a door slams and Shady’s phone illuminates the small room. The light blinds me as his eyes move swiftly over my face.
No sooner is his hand away from my mouth than I’m whisper-shouting at him. “It’s about fucking time! I was two seconds from being ass raped before you showed up.”
“Well now, we wouldn’t want that, would we?” He’s trying to be a smart-ass but I can see the flash of anger in his eyes. Softening his tone, he asks, “You okay?”
I nod. “I’m fine.” But really, I’m anything but.
“How about you let me handle this one?” he suggests, tucking my hair behind my ear. The gesture is intimate and for some reason I feel like crying. But of course, I don’t.
He doesn’t wait for my answer; he just leans in and kisses my head, then bolts out of the room and across the hall. I stand in the darkness, waiting for him to return. Everything was going to be okay. I feel in my back pocket and smile when my fingers touch the jump drive. Soon, we wouldn’t have to worry about hunting Death Mob. They would be coming to us.
Shady returns minutes later and I can tell by the look on his face that Fin is dead, but he didn’t die the slow death Shady was hoping for. Pulling off his hoodie, he hands it to me and I slip it on over my torn blouse. Dammit. It was one of my favorites.
“We need to leave. Now.” Grabbing
my hand, he pulls me into the hall, keeping his head down as we walk to the elevators. “Rookie and Clark are waiting outside.”
I smile beneath the hoodie, but he can’t see it. I guess he was smart enough to figure out my plan. I just hope Clark doesn’t hold any hard feelings against me. Business is business, after all.
“Clark doesn’t know anything about this. Rookie doesn’t know much either.” I turn to look at him as we board the elevator, his hand tightening around mine as he clenches his teeth. That vein next to his temple bulges and I know he’s pissed. And he has every reason to be. “What the fuck were you thinking, Diem?” he growls between his teeth, burning me with the intensity of his gaze.
When I don’t answer, he reaches out and punches the stop button on the elevator. I guess he wants an answer now. “I had to do this alone. I figured turning each of you against the other was the only way for it to work.”
“Why did you think you had to do this alone?”
When I take too long to answer, he lets out a growl of warning and suddenly I have diarrhea of the mouth. “Because I didn’t want to risk getting caught. I’ve worked too hard and sacrificed too much for anybody to jeopardize this all because they thought I was too weak to handle it.”
“You’re the one in charge, Diem. Simply telling us to stay the fuck away would have worked.” But even as he says the words, I can hear the doubt in them.
“Really? You’d have stayed away? What about Clark? His head is further up my ass than yours is.”
A low rumble rips through his chest, and I can see him biting his tongue to keep from yelling at me. Or kissing me. Either wouldn’t be very smart right now. Although I wouldn’t mind being kissed out of anger. He has a way with his mouth when he’s pissed.