No Longer Weak

by Lyra Parish

“Learned from the best. Now fuck me harder.”

  He didn’t hold back. At all. Tomorrow, I would feel every single movement. Tomorrow, I would have a permanent smile plastered across my face. Not caring anymore, I relaxed and scratched my nails down Finnley’s back. I was so close.

  “Harder,” I said between gritted teeth.

  Finnley panted into the crook of my neck, fucking me like he hated me, but oh God, I knew he loved me so much.

  I grabbed his ass and pushed him deeper inside me as I came all over his dick. A few more thrusts, and he leaned down and kissed me as he filled me with his warmth. Sweat covered his forehead, and his messy hair stuck to it.

  “You drive me crazy, Jennifer.”

  I grabbed the bottom of his chin, then leaned up and kissed him. “What do you think you do to me?” I asked.

  “Rock your fucking world. Oh, I must officially welcome you to the Mile High Club,” he said.

  “I thought I was already a member from when we flew?”

  “That was just the initiation flight.” Finnley smiled.

  I lay there, completely relaxed, when he stood and buckled his pants. I lifted my butt from the soft cushions, then cleaned him from me before I did up my pants.

  “Do I get a members jacket or something?” I smiled and rebraided my hair, which had turned into a fuzzy mess.

  Finnley walked over to a small refrigerator in the back of the plane and pulled out a bottle of wine, then poured us each a glass. Once our faces were no longer pink, Finnley opened the curtain that separated us from our siblings.

  Luke walked to the back of the plane and lifted his eyebrow at me. I flushed with embarrassment and smiled, then sipped my wine.

  Finnley tapped his glass against mine and whispered, “To being a member of the Mile High Club, You don’t get a members jacket until you’ve done it ten times. Kind of like a punch card,” he said then kissed my cheek.

  Caitlyn entered as well, and Finnley stood and walked to the back of the plane to be with Luke. She sat in the seat in front of me with a smile on her face. She glanced at me, then to Finnley, who was a few feet away.

  “So, little sister,” she said.

  I narrowed my eyes at her.

  “Luke,” she said.

  I sat up in my seat and stared at her.

  “Something happened in Hawaii,” she said.

  This couldn’t be more awkward, staring at a woman who looked exactly like a younger version of my mother. Even her smile was exactly the same, and the tone of her voice. It was my mother reincarnated, and at times it was hard looking at her. Though at others, I was grateful she had found me. I didn’t rush her. I just sat there, waiting, already having a feeling of what she would say.

  “I really like him,” she said. “Like a lot and well, I want to have your good graces before I pursue anything. It’s important to me that you approve of this because of your history, you know.”

  “We have no history. It wasn’t like that,” I said.

  “I know how he felt about you at one time. That’s all. I wasn’t trying to imply anything.”

  “Cait. Luke is a great guy. One day, he is going to make someone happy. Very happy. If you want to go on dates with him, then go for it. But I’ll tell you this. Don’t you dare break his heart. You’re my sister. You’re my blood. But so is Luketon. I love him too much to let him get hurt again. And if you get together and break up, you’re both coming to Christmas dinner. I don’t care how bad the breakup is. I want you both there.”

  She laughed. “That’s a deal. He makes me feel. I can’t even describe it. It feels right for once.”

  I leaned forward in my seat and reached my arms out. She came in and we exchanged a hug.

  “Thank you,” she said. “Thank you so much.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Caitlyn stood with a huge smile on her face and walked toward the back of the plane. I knew it wouldn’t have mattered whether I had given my graces or not. They were adults and could do what they wanted. Finnley sat next to me with a grin plastered across his face.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Nothing.” He kept smiling.

  “What? Tell me!”

  “You can’t demand me. That’s not how this works.” He crossed his arms and laughed.

  “You better tell me, Finnley Felton, and you better tell me right now.”

  He turned his body to me. “Luke asked me if he could date your sister.”

  “She just asked me if she could date your brother,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him.

  We both stood and turned our bodies toward the back of the plane, where Luke and Caitlyn were kissing against the wall. Both of our mouths fell open, and we sat.

  “That didn’t take long, did it?” Finnley said.

  “What did you tell Luke?”

  “I told him to not be ridiculous.”

  “That was it?”

  “I told him to not be ridiculous, and if he finds love, he better keep it. That if it’s real, to not let it slip by, but he better not pursue anything unless he knows it’s right because it’s your fucking sister.”

  I shook my head and laughed. “Of course that’s what you said.”

  “At least it isn’t one of the Elite. God, I thought I would never get him away from those women.”

  “Are you happy?” I asked.

  He turned and looked at me. “Happy doesn’t even describe how I feel right now. You make me feel. That’s all that matters.”

  Luke and Caitlyn passed us, holding hands. I looked at Finnley, and he kissed my forehead.

  The plane landed and we all wore our travel faces. I couldn’t wait to get home and sleep in our bed. Outside the airport, two black limos sat waiting, along with several unmarked SUVs.

  “I’m confused,” I said.

  “We’re like the fucking president and first lady. It’s basic divide and conquer,” Finnley said.

  Abbot stepped out of one of the many black SUVs lined behind the limos. He leaned in, gave Finnley a strong hug, and exchanged a few words that I couldn’t hear. I couldn’t believe so many SUVs were waiting for us. Charlie stepped out of the second limo and gave me a huge smile.

  “Congrats, Jennifer,” he said. I smiled back and winked before I slipped inside, followed by Caitlyn and Luke. Finnley stood outside, pointing in different directions as he spoke with Abbot and a few men who I had never seen before. Then Charlie opened the door and Finnley slid in beside me.

  He held me in his arms and kissed my neck. Luke and Caitlyn whispered in each other’s ears. I closed my eyes and let the sound of the tires on the road whisk me away.

  No one knew we were married. The secret was our own, just like the ceremony. It was important the secret was kept ours, because I knew deep down in my heart that Jesse was in the shadows, waiting for us to let down our guard, to catch us at our weakest. She would try with everything she was to destroy us both.

  I couldn’t have that.

  ABBOT

  Thirty-one

  Finnley upped the ante with protection, but with unlimited amounts of funds, why wouldn’t he? Baxtor’s men and gangsters, who were looking for extra cash, filled the SUVs. Each person was packing weapons and knives. I had gotten wind from Baxtor that he’d found a Russian who was working with Jesse and had questioned him. Apparently, it had gotten bloody, but they’d worked something out. Usually when it came between life and death, deals could be made. But then again, money made people talk, and good ole Bax had played his cards carefully. He would never give me exact information: just enough for us to know something was going to happen. He played in the purgatory between Jesse and me, because he wanted to kill her himself.

  Today I had gotten the call that Jesse would make a move.

  Not on my fucking watch.

  The sky was dark and gloomy. Grey clouds washed against a dark-colored sky, and it reminded me of London in the winter. For a second I thought it would rain, but then remembered where I was.

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nbsp; I gripped the steering wheel, knuckles turning white, and checked my surroundings as the two limos followed each other ahead of us. I kept searching around, waiting for something to happen, and as if I’d had a premonition, one of my men called on the radio with bloody murder in his voice.

  “Fucking crazy bastards are shooting at us. They are here,” he yelled so loudly I could barely make out everything he said. I glanced over at Liam, who breathed in a deep breath then cocked the hammer of his pistol.

  I took a quick glance in the side mirror and watched as black vans fell in line behind us. Gunshots ricocheted off the bulletproof vehicles, but I knew if they used anything larger, the protection that the Suburbans offered wouldn’t be enough. In front of us, the road split two ways. One limo was planning to go left and another would go right. Fuck!

  I picked up the phone and dialed Finnley’s number. He picked up on the first ring.

  “Plan B,” I said then hung up, not having time to explain everything that would happen. We’d planned this out perfectly. We had every scenario taken care of, thanks to the insider information. When the limos went separate ways, I jerked the wheel of the Suburban and made a U-Turn. The wheels slid in the gravel, and after another moment, I regained total control.

  “How the fuck? There are so many of them,” Liam said, counting the vans. Jesse went hard, but I had dealt with fucks like her for the past decade. This had to end today. No more playing her childish games. No more allowing her the upper hand. By dusk tonight, she would be no longer, and I wouldn’t stop until that thought was a reality.

  Liam rolled down the window of the Suburban and steadied himself as he hung out and began shooting at the tires of the vans. Other drivers made U-turns and followed our lead. Jesse’s men were insane with a death wish, almost like kamikazes, as they veered head-on into our lanes. I knew they had a mission, but to risk their lives so destructively for the wrong side almost didn’t make sense to me. But I learned a long time ago that people who did this type of work weren’t completely there. Sociopaths, psychopaths, thieves, drug addicts, compulsive liars—those were the people hired help for this type of work. Even I had a few of them on my team, but most of my men had structure with their crime and were driven by greed. I was okay with that.

  A large majority of the vans kept following the line of Suburbans that had followed the limo right. After we passed the last black van, Liam tucked back inside and buckled himself up. I turned the wheel hard again and followed behind the caravan of vehicles. They were not stopping for anything, and I was sure that had been an order.

  We were driving fast, almost too fast. In my vision, a white Mercedes passed us like a ghost.

  “Stop that car,” I said into a walkie-talkie. My drivers pulled out in front of the car, but nothing seemed to stop it. And that’s when the explosions started. A Suburban flipped off the road and rolled three times before it came to a stop. I knew what could cause that type of damage—RPGs. How the fuck had she gotten a hold of those? Another Suburban flew off the road and burst into flames.

  “It’s the third van back. It’s following the car and taking us out as it passes.”

  The van in front of us slammed on its brakes, and I swerved around it. As we passed, Liam aimed his gun out the window. Direct hit. The van veered off the road. There were five more, but I had to catch up to the white car, and the van following close behind it. Each one of my men who were driving were skilled drivers and would randomly slam on their brakes, go off road, and jerk the wheel into the other lane if needed.

  The white car got near a Suburban that was following close behind the limo, and he tried everything he could to stop it. He slammed the side of the Suburban into the car, which caused it to temporarily lose control. But somehow it made its way back onto the road. One Suburban crashed into a van, pushing it farther off road, until the driver turned the wheel. Liam began shooting at the tires of the van, leaving them flat. I slammed on the gas until I was a few feet behind the car, racing at high speeds. The Mercedes passed the limo, and so did I, staying close on its tail.

  The limo turned off onto a back road, and moments later, the white car was back. Dead end. We were trapped. A man holding a gun stepped out of the car and walked to the limo. I parked the Suburban and pulled out both guns. Liam followed, and that’s when the entourage of vans and Suburbans filed in.

  “Stop,” I yelled.

  The limo driver stayed in place, not opening the door. When the man turned and looked at me, his face was distorted and his mouth was curved up in a huge smile. I swallowed, knowing exactly what type of man he was. When I went to take a step forward, the man opened his jacket and flashed what looked like a bomb strapped to his chest. While the limos were bulletproof, they weren’t bomb proof. I knew that, and so did the driver who didn’t hesitate when he saw the explosives. The psycho immediately pulled a gun and held it to the driver’s head. Psycho whispered something, and reluctantly, the driver unlocked the car door. The man ran to the back of the limo in a hurry. Bullets grazed past me as I ran toward them. The last thing I fucking needed was to get shot.

  Liam stayed at the Suburban and started shooting at those who were shooting at me. My men were fighting Jesse’s in the middle of the street. Thankfully, Liam never missed a shot, and people were dropping like meteors in a shower.

  When the man opened the back of the limo, I burst into laughter as I ran toward him. His curved lips transformed into a thin, straight line, and he narrowed his cold, dead eyes on me. We were just a few feet from each in a total standoff. He quickly opened his cellphone and only said one word before I placed the gun on his temple and pulled the trigger. I felt absolutely nothing when I did it. Maybe I really had lost my soul somewhere during the transition. I watched as blackness pooled on the ground, mixing with the gravel. Gunshots continued to ricochet around me, and I took cover inside the limo.

  The driver rolled down the window, and I screamed for him to bring us to Finnley’s house, the destination of the other limo. Liam jumped in the back of the bulletproof limo, and the driver turned it around. As we passed our men, I opened the door to let them in. Some were bloody, but others didn’t have a scratch on them. The amount of adrenaline pumping through our veins right now was at lethal levels, but it seemed to calm me, almost as if I were in hyper speed. Pretty soon, twelve of us were sitting in a ten-passenger limo. When I turned around to look at the scene, all I saw were bodies laying on the ground. To say it was a fucking mess was an understatement.

  I pulled out my cellphone and called Finnley.

  He didn’t answer, and I knew we had to hurry.

  Though I’d had a plan, it had gone all wrong.

  JENNIFER

  Thirty-two

  Finnley’s phone rang, and the conversation lasted mere seconds. He pressed a button and spoke to Charlie. “We are on Plan B,” Finnley said. We turned left, and I watched the line of SUVs and vans follow the other limo. My heart raced like crazy, and I looked at Finnley, who was completely calm, as if he knew this would happen. I couldn’t count the amount of vehicles that were in the caravan following the limo. It was a mixture of danger, and I was scared.

  He pulled me close to him and smiled. “They really aren’t the smartest people in the world, are they? I thought at least one would follow us,” Finnley said.

  Charlie slammed on the gas, and we travelled at high speeds to the house. Finnley opened a briefcase that sat in the seat next to him. Inside it were guns, bullets, clips, and silencers. He placed a clip in the bottom of the gun and racked the slide, then handed it to Luke, who took it and placed it inside his jacket. Finnley repeated the process for two more guns, then placed a holster around his shoulders and slipped the two guns on each side of him. A few knives were passed around too. He glanced over at me and swallowed. His nostrils flared, and I knew at that moment the threat. Charlie zoomed down the driveway to the house and pulled close to the door.

  Finnley opened the car door, and I followed quickly behind him.
As soon as my feet hit pavement, I heard the click of a gun. Finnley’s mouth dropped open, and so did mine when I saw Jesse coming toward us from the side of the house, alone. I slammed the door shut so she wouldn’t know that Luke and Caitlyn were in the limo. Adrenaline streamed through my body, and I wasn’t sure I could handle it all. My hands trembled, and all I heard was the beating of my heart echoing through my ears.

  Finnley pulled me close to his body and slowly reached to his side to pull the gun from his holster.

  “Drop the fucking guns, Finnley,” she said, then burst into hysterical laughter. She was proud of herself, always too proud of what she had done.

  Chills formed on my skin, and my arm hair stood on end. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as Finnley dropped the guns.

  “You really didn’t think you would get away, did you? Please tell me you aren’t that stupid. You’re smarter than that, Finnley. Much smarter,” she said, and I knew it was nothing more than the calm before the crazy Jesse storm. She would lose it. She always did.

  Jesse stood a few feet in front of us. The front door of the house was right there, just on the other side of her. Why couldn’t we have run to it or slipped back inside the limo? Hindsight really was 20/20. She stared me down while disgust spread across her face. Her eyes were deep sockets of pure blackness with nothing behind them. I think that was more frightening than the end of the gun she rested on my forehead. Finnley grabbed my hand and squeezed three times. Jesse threaded her fingers through my hair then jerked my head with all the strength she had until I looked into Finnley’s eyes.

  “You chose her? Her? Look at her. She’s a fucking child. She has nothing going for her. She’s weak. You make me sick, Finnley. You could have had me. All of me. I would have died for you and now I’ll kill because of you,” she said. A single tear streamed down her face, then quickly, she pointed the gun at Finnley. I turned my head, and he stared her down with nothing but disgust and hate in his eyes.

  My nightmares flooded me. My nightmares were becoming a reality.