by Sam Crescent
“I wonder why your lady love is calling me,” Randy said.
He answered the call but before Randy got to say anything, Damon heard Isabella’s distressed voice over the line.
“She called me, Randy. She said someone was trying to get into the house and now, now it’s on fire. Oh, my God, I’ve got to go in.”
Over the line, he heard someone else talk. “Miss, you can’t go in there.”
“My friend is in there. Her son!”
Damon didn’t need to wait. He knew exactly where he was going. With Randy hot on his heels, they were in the car and heading toward the apartment building where her friend Daniella lived.
He had a guy on the building.
Putting the call through, he waited. The call finally came through. The voice raspy.
“I failed you, Sir,” the man said.
“Douglas, answer me.”
“He … knew I was here. I …couldn’t … stop … fire … girl and boy … dead.”
The line went dead.
“This is going to kill Bella,” Randy said.
He broke every single speeding law, coming to the building where he knew her friend was.
A crowd was watching as the police held his wife to the ground. Climbing out of the car, he recognized one of the officers, who immediately told his men to back up.
Reaching his woman, he pulled her into his arms.
“I’ve got to go in there,” she said.
“I know.”
“She’s … so young…” she sobbed. “They can’t be dead. They can’t be.”
“I’ve got you.”
“They wouldn’t let me go in.” She pressed her face against his neck.
“I’ve got you.” He looked at Randy.
“I’m on it,” Randy said.
He didn’t need to ask the man to go and check to see if the son of a bitch was still around. For something like this, the fucker was close, he could sense it.
“It’s because of me, isn’t it?” she asked. “I put Daniella in danger.”
“This isn’t your fault.” He cupped her face, forcing her to look at him. “You’re not responsible here. You didn’t kill her or set this building on fire.”
“You know she’s dead?” she asked.
Damon nodded. “My man, he was watching. I called on the way here. He told me they were dead.”
“But, how did he know?”
“He’s inside as well. The building, it’s going to keep going up in flames until no evidence is left.”
“She was just a kid. She had her whole life ahead of her. She was so nice even after everything that happened. This isn’t fair.”
“I know. I’ve got you. I know.” He wanted to take her pain away, to not let her feel, but right now, he was just going to have to be content to hold her. Randy didn’t return immediately.
Police moved aside the audience the fire had built. Ambulance crews came, and he moved her toward his car. She was bruised. Her face cut from wriggling against the tarmac. People would pay for putting their hands on her, and he was going to find the person who thought they could hurt his woman and get away with it.
Chapter Ten
Isabella paid for Daniella and August’s funerals as well as Damon’s guard. She knew he didn’t take the money even as she passed him her card to take care of everything. He was there by her side through everything. There were no bodies to bury, but she still paid for caskets and was there at the church.
Randy was there, as were a couple of Damon’s men. He held her hand, offering her support.
That was three weeks ago.
Staring out across the city, even in the full heat of the sun, she felt so alone.
Damon moved up behind her. He’d only left her a couple of times to deal with business. She knew she should be there with him, but she hadn’t been able to think without being on the brink of tears.
Mourning.
Again.
“How are you today?” he asked.
She leaned back against him. “Fine.”
“You’re not.”
“It’s … it’s another day.”
“That it is.” He kissed her neck and she closed her eyes. “Would you like to come to work with me today?”
“What do you have to do?”
“Nothing much. I’ve got some accountants to check over. I’ve got word they’ve been playing with the books and I need to go and teach them a lesson.”
“You sound happy about that,” she said.
“It gives me something to do to help clear my mind.”
“Pain does that.”
“They’re traitors.”
“Someone killed my friend, Damon.”
“I know, and I’m going to find them. I promise.”
She turned in his arms, cupping his face. “And he gets to walk free?”
“Sweetheart, these things take time,” he said.
“No, they don’t. It didn’t take a lot of time to kill her or her son.” She pressed her lips together. “When you find the person, I want to be there.”
He stroked her cheek. “Do you think that’s wise?”
“You told me you’re not like other men, well, I’m not like other women.”
“Did you see your father torture? Kill?”
“I saw a lot.” There was much he kept hidden from her, she wasn’t a fool, she knew that, but he at least trusted her to do what was right, she believed that deep in her heart.
“Come with me today. You don’t get to join in. You watch and when we’re done, you tell me if you can handle the kind of pain you think you wish to dish out to someone else.” He glanced down at her. “You need to change first.”
“Sweat pants and stained shirts are not appropriate to a killing?”
“You need to look the part and by that, you need to look powerful and be ready for anything. Get dressed. Get prepared. You’re a strong woman. You didn’t cause Daniella’s death. You are not to blame.” He kissed her lips and she wanted more. “Go. We’ll see how much you can handle.”
She walked into the bedroom, quickly swapping her lazy clothes for something a lot less comfortable but screamed that she was in control. Once she was sure she looked good, she made her way back out, pulling her long, black hair into a ponytail.
“Beautiful,” he said.
Following him out of the penthouse apartment, she didn’t say anything on the way down to the parking lot. She noticed his men were close and as they climbed into the back of his car, she looked out the window.
Damon took her hand and they were back out in daylight again.
“If you want to go back home…”
“No, I’m fine. It’s good to get out.”
“You really liked her?” he asked.
“She was my friend. She was younger than me. It doesn’t matter.”
“It does matter.”
“I just want to focus on now. Tell me about these accountants,” she said. If she focused on work, then her pain would diminish. That was all she could focus on right now. Work.
“Over half a million has gone missing from one of the casinos. The Boss requested a further investigation and it appears money only ever vanishes when a certain accountant is here. He’s been loyal for twenty years, but all of the markers point to him.”
“And if he’s innocent?”
“I’ve found applying the right kind of pressure helps to bring out the truth.”
They weren’t driving for long before they pulled up outside an abandoned bar. It was run down and had metal gates all around it.
“Original,” she said, climbing out of the car with her husband.
“We like to keep our image alive.”
She followed Damon into the old bar. A man was hung upside down, and a pool of blood already coated the cement floor. The scent of stale beer, decay, and death filled the air, making her stomach turn.
Her father had never allowed her to see him in action. Randy was the person she watched torture
, or one of his other soldiers. They were always quick deaths. The men would scream out their secrets, and it would be over.
A whimper filled the air. The man flailed and tried to get away.
“Now, now, you’re really hurting my feelings,” Damon said.
“Please, Damon. I didn’t do it. I don’t know who did but I would never steal from the Boss. Never. I’m not stupid. Please.”
She folded her arms, instantly feeling uncomfortable.
Did her friend beg?
“But we’ve got the logs, Bud. We know the money went missing during your hours.” Damon held out a file that he opened up. She could only imagine they were the log books.
“How do you know it was him?” she asked, speaking up.
Damon turned to her. “Excuse me?”
“The log books state it was him in the system but have you checked it was the days he worked? Passwords and stuff can be taken, used against them.” She took a deep breath, waiting. “Make sure you’ve got the right person before you spill his guts out.”
“Yes, what the lady says,” Bud said. “I’m innocent. I only work for the Boss. I only do what he wishes. I would never hurt or do anything.”
She didn’t want to be here for this. Moving toward Damon, she took the file from him and glanced over it. “Where are his employment files?” she asked, turning to the man who held the file out to him. He had a distinctive mark on his neck, showing he was a direct soldier of the Boss.
“We don’t have any.”
“Then you should. The Boss wouldn’t want this man tortured for a simple error. He must be worth all this time and effort and to lose him would be a great loss.” She didn’t stop staring at the man.
Damon grabbed her arm, moving her back. “What are you doing?” he asked, whispering the words.
“Making sure the next person who is killed deserved it. Who told you to torture this man?”
“The Boss.”
She stared at the man, curious. “What if it’s a test?” she asked.
“A test?”
“To see if you’ve got what it takes to kill a man.”
Damon laughed. “I know what it takes to kill a man.”
“But do you have what it takes to see that you’ve gotten the right man?” she asked.
The smile disappeared from his face as the soldier came back, complete with his cell phone.
“Your wife is right,” the soldier said. “This man wasn’t working.” He held up his cell phone for them all to see. The man sat in the chair sighed in relief. “Someone must have been using his passwords.”
“Every single capo has access to those codes,” Damon said.
“Then it’s time you start looking into who is trying to steal money from the Boss himself, and it could be linked to who is trying to kill me.” She closed the file and without another word, walked out of the abandoned bar. She took a deep breath before climbing into the back of the car. She didn’t have to wait long before Damon returned. “What will happen to him?”
“He’ll be heavily compensated and his passwords and codes will be granted to him by the Boss.”
“You could have killed an innocent man today.”
“Isabella, you need to realize not a day goes by when I haven’t killed an innocent person.”
Their guards climbed into the vehicle and they were silent once again, staring out across the city as they drove all the way back to their place. She didn’t know when she started to call it her place, but it did feel like it, at least a little like hers.
Resting her head back in the chair, she released a sigh. Damon moved closer to her, taking her hand.
“I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“I wasn’t thinking about me.”
“Her death wasn’t your fault.”
“I know.”
“The pain will lessen soon. I promise.”
She didn’t know if she wanted it to lessen. The guilt was the emotion that was tearing her apart.
****
Several days later, Damon knew without a shadow of a doubt who was after his woman. Gripping the paper, he knew he had to act quickly. Just as he was about to get up from his seat, his wife knocked on the door.
Their marriage hadn’t gone as exactly to plan as he’d originally hoped. Work had consumed him. Her pain making her pull away from him.
She offered him a smile. “What are you doing?”
“Work. You know. The usual.” He slid the image into the file, closing it. He didn’t want her to see.
She stepped into his office.
The gown she wore wasn’t tied up in the middle so as she moved, it seemed to flow around her. She looked … exquisite. They hadn’t made love in a few days. His cock hardened at the thought of her riding him, in this very chair.
She walked closer to the desk, running her fingers across the top. “I was thinking about you.”
“And?”
“You never come to bed.”
He smiled.
It would appear his wife wanted him as much as he wanted her. She walked down the side of his desk and came to where he sat.
“Don’t you want me anymore?”
He gripped her hip, pulling her in front of his desk. Pushing the files out of the way, he didn’t care what mess he made. He lifted her up and set her down on his desk. Sliding the robe off her shoulders, he ran his hands down her body, cupping her tits, going to her ass, and sliding beneath her silk crop top.
He massaged her breasts, running his thumbs across her nipples. She cried out. It wasn’t enough for him. He pulled the top right over her head and as she leaned back, she pushed her tits up.
“You know, you don’t have to come and pretend you want my company. If you want to be thoroughly fucked, all you’ve got to do is ask.” He took one beaded nipple into his mouth, flicking his tongue back and forth across it.
She cried out and he loved the sound as it echoed around the room. This was what he wanted. He wanted to hear her pleasured moans.
Gliding his hands down, he pushed her shorts out of the way, cupping her pussy. She spread her legs, and he plunged a finger into her heat. She was already wet.
“Do you want this or do you want me to stop?” he asked.
“Don’t stop.”
“Then you’re going to have to tell me what you want, Isabella.”
“I want you to fuck me.” She didn’t even hesitate.
He released her body, removed her clothes so she stood before him completely naked. Running his hands all over her, he couldn’t get enough. Gripping her ass, he lifted her up and spread her legs wide, staring at her wet cunt.
Without waiting for permission, he flicked his tongue against her, circling her bud and going down to her entrance, then back up. He pressed his face against her, wanting to take every single part of her. She was so fucking sweet.
He opened his belt as he continued to bring her closer to the brink of orgasm.
She kept on moaning his name, and he was more than happy to hear the sounds. He wanted nothing more than to fuck her. To claim her, to possess every single inch of her, and that was exactly what he was going to do.
After kicking off his shoes, he pushed his pants down, and they fell to the ground, followed by his boxer briefs. He wrapped his fingers around his length. Pre-cum already coated the tip.
She was so close to the edge but he didn’t let her orgasm. With his head at her entrance, he slid, inch, by inch, watching her take him. Such an erotic and heady sight.
Returning his grip to her hips, he held on tight and slammed the last couple of inches within her, fucking her hard. She cried out his name and he started to take her. Going hard and deep within her.
“Touch your pussy.” He took hold of her hand so she didn’t argue with him and placed her fingers directly over her clit. “Let me see you play.”
She was already wet enough and as she started to work her clit, an answering pulse vibrated up his cock as she tightened around him.
He didn’t stop rocking inside her, changing the pace to a good, hard fuck. The desk was screwed down to the floor and as he fucked her, he felt her orgasm beginning to build.
“Damon.”
“I know. Just come, baby. Let me see you come all over my dick.”
Seconds later, she came and as she did so, he had to grit his teeth, holding onto his sanity, but the pleasure was too much. In one last thrust, he came, spilling his cum into her waiting pussy. Only, this wasn’t going to end here.
Even before the last of his orgasm ebbed away, he picked her up and carried her to their bedroom. Dropping her down on the bed, he saw some of his cum spill from the lips of her pussy. He groaned, swiping some and pressing it back inside her.
All of his cum was supposed to be inside her.
Removing his jacket and his shirt, he joined her on the bed. His cock was already hardening once again.
Putting her to her knees, he spread the cheeks of her ass and saw what he wanted.
“Wait,” she said. “I’d like to taste you.”
He stopped. “What?”
She rolled over and slid so that he straddled her chest. Lifting up, she wrapped her fingers around his length and licked her lips. “I want to taste you.”
Her tongue peeked out and she slid it across his head. She released another little moan as she did. Next, she opened her lips and took more of him, sinking down until he hit the back of her throat before coming back up. She did this again and again. If he hadn’t been hard before, he certainly was now.
Fuck, her mouth was so damn perfect. He pumped his dick inside her mouth, unable to control his own needs. She was so amazing.
He was ready to fuck her. When he felt like he was close to coming in her mouth, he stopped and took control, forcing her back onto her knees. “You’re my wife, Isabella. All you have to do is ask, and anything, everything your heart desires will be yours.”
He spread the cheeks of her ass, stroking over her asshole. She tensed up but didn’t pull away.
“Tell me to stop, baby. Tell me to fucking stop.” All it would take was her asking him to.
She didn’t say a word.
He pressed his fingers inside her, getting them nice and slick before drawing them back to her anus. Their combined releases made her wet enough to press his fingers into her. It wouldn’t be enough for his cock though.