PUSH: Ultra Alpha MMA Badboy Mafia Romance (Southside Brotherhood Book 2)

by Wyatt, Dani

  “I’m not fucking here to stop you; I’m here to help you.” Flynn’s voice caught.

  “You know how you can help me? Don’t kiss me. Don’t think of me at all. You can’t be my friend, then be nothing. I’ll do my part; I won’t come back here. All I wanted was someone on my side, someone who didn’t want something from me. I guess that isn’t you, after all.”

  Her fingers reached the doorknob.

  She has not one fucking idea what I would do for her. Let her go; figure this shit out; get a fucking plan. Quit fucking around—she needs a champion. They’ve got her tagged and bagged with all the shit they’re hanging over her head. Don’t make it worse for her; make it fucking go away. Nail every set of balls to the damn fire ant hill that has turned her head into this damn mess.

  The tips of his fingers shook and tingled as the wind caught the hem of her dress in the open door. He watched the roar of loosened copper curls blow over her face and the sway of her hips as she half-ran to the path in the strip of woods that connected the guest house to the gardens.

  Just before she disappeared into the tree line, Flynn saw her braid flip around like a tail as she took one more glance back.

  I’m coming, Lilly. I’ll always be here. I going to figure this shit out, and when I come for you next time, I’m going to be a damn tsunami and everyone that’s keeping you from me better get the fuck out of the way.

  Chapter Ten

  God, I’m freezing in here.

  Lilly shook out her arms as she turned to the plexiglass wall on the other side of the room from where she sat. It housed another room full of cubicles. Most of them were empty at this time of day, but Lilly caught a glimpse of Ana’s short, blonde bob.

  There was a distinct lack of a sense of passing time in this room, kind of like a drunk at a slot machine in Vegas.

  When Lilly got her earphones on and dialed into the work, it was one of her only vestiges of peace. The complex codes danced in her head as she lay the layers of what would be a temple of gold for the families.

  Why didn’t she just leave? Right? Like he said—pack up… or not even. Just walk out the door. Leave behind the sparkling world of opulence and privilege that was as foreign to her as love.

  Because, the art to intimidation went beyond just violence.

  More than the fear for your own life, it was the tentacles of control that the families of this particular, polished underworld wove. It started when you were still in the womb, then as you grew and showed your brand of worth, your strengths to lend to the cause, they studied how best to wiggle into your weak spots, your cracks, until their hold became unbreakable and you no longer recognized where your will stopped and theirs began.

  But you could fight them. Resist.

  First trick was to never show that you cared about anything or anyone. But how did a child know that? They didn’t. And even as a child, they’re always watching, planning and fitting you in like a puzzle piece in the grand master plan.

  So it was for Lilly.

  In the small, stone cottage, she grew and dazzled her mother and the other friendly faces of the small village with her savant-like ability to calculate in a split-second complex mathematical problems fit for a brain trust somewhere at MIT.

  That skill drove her destiny, pushed it into others’ hands to be planned for her. Now, here, in this cold room, even with her incredible brain, she could not find the tunnel out—the key to free herself, to release their hold on the one thing in her life she cared about.

  “Hey.” Lilly tiptoed toward the twenty-something blonde who was as close to a friend as she had at SPIN.

  “Geez—” Ana jumped a few inches out of her chair. “Make some noise when you approach, scared the piss outta me.”

  Ana sat up and looked around the room. Even without the privilege of knowing all the intricate knots tied around Lilly, it was clear that fraternizing with the golden child of this bizarre family was not going to get you any Christmas bonuses.

  “Sorry. Bad habit.”

  “Yeah, well, I guess I get it. I’d be tiptoeing around, too, if I had to live with some of your family.”

  Lilly tried to give her a smile. Ana tipped her head to the side as Lilly sniffed and leaned on the edge of her L-shaped desk.

  “They’re a riot, aren’t they? You should come for Christmas. I’m sure it’s as Norman Rockwell as they come.”

  Ana snorted as Lilly played with some paper clips on her desk.

  “Yeah, I bet. No thanks, my mom may take her white wine a little too seriously now and then, but I’ll stick with my own brand of crazy over what you have to deal with. Some of your clan is straight outta Goodfellows or Jurassic Park or some mash-up. I mean, gawd, at first, you meet Colin or Gideon, and you’re all fangirl ‘cause they have to be straight out of some lab somewhere where woman are creating the perfect man. Theeennnnnn, they start to talk, and my panties dry right up, ‘cause they be dicks.”

  Ana’s dry, straight shot wit made Lilly burst out in a rare, loud laugh.

  “Oh my god, I know. They look sooo pretty, but they just can’t keep their mouths shut long enough to enjoy it.” Lilly wiped her cheek.

  “Maybe once you are Mrs. Dunleavy…” Ana let that trail off.

  It was common knowledge that Lilly and Colin were engaged, but to see them together no one would know.

  “Right, well. We’ll see.” Lilly spun a paper clip over and over, pulling her lips to one side of her mouth, then the other.

  “So, you done for today? It’s getting kind of late for you to be here, isn’t it? Where’s your two best friends?”

  “Oh, I’m sure they’re outside. I told them I would be out by eight. They like the place shut up tight by 6:30, but I had to finish this code for you-know-who.” Lilly looked at the huge expanse of cubicles, still in awe that she was the brain behind such a huge endeavor. “Listen, I need a favor. Can I use your phone? Mine’s dead and I promised my mom I would call her. It’s international, so I’ll pay you for whatever it costs.”

  Ana upturned her phone in her palm without question.

  “Thanks. I’ll try to keep it short.”

  “Whatever, talk to your mom. I’m here until I finish this document. Your betrothed wants me to email it to him tonight. He’s such a charmer, said ‘get it to him tonight or get myself gone’.”

  “Yeah, he’s got a way with words.” And a way with his fists. Lucky, he saves that little piece of heaven for me. “I’m gonna go call; I’ll bring it right back.” Lilly held the phone up with a twist back and forth as she gave her friend a stiff grin.

  “Take your time. I’ll be right here serving our master.”

  Lilly made her way back into the chill and white noise of her room. It was one o’clock in the morning back home, but her mom was a night owl by nature and Connor would be back from the pub and passed out—a perfect time to talk in peace.

  “Hello?” Her mom’s voice sounded hesitant.

  Lilly knew the strange number would throw her off.

  “Hey, Mom, it’s me. I’m using my friend’s phone; mine died.”

  Actually, my phone is fine, but my ever-vigilant fiancé tracks everything I do, including recording every call I make from my phone.

  “How are you? How’s the work coming? Everyone here is so proud of you. I tell them all about how important you are, working on some new program that will make us all rich.” Abigail always had such hope in her voice when Lilly called.

  Lilly tried to take a deep breath. Listening to how excited her mom was made it even harder to tell her the truth about what life was like for her now.

  “I’m fine. I don’t think I’m going to make us all rich, Mom, so don’t get ahead of yourself.”

  “Oh pooo, surely you will.” She broke off into a cough that set Lilly’s heart racing.

  “Mom. Mom, are you okay? Mom!” Lilly held her forehead in her other hand, the sound of her mother coughing and gagging turning her face cold.

  “I’m here
. I’m okay.”

  “Mom, I’ll get you here as soon as I can. I’m trying to finish. I wish he would let you come sooner. Are you okay? You see your doctor?”

  “Yes, I did. They’re doing the best they can. It’s not like there. Connor has to drive me four hours to the medical center. I’m okay.”

  “You’re not. I’m going to see if Colin will let you come now.”

  “Just be a wee bit nicer, dear. He’s still a man, just do as yer told. Smile, try to give him a chance. I mean, he was always so lovely to you and me when he came to visit. I can’t imagine he has changed so much since you arrived.”

  ‘He’s still a man,’ that’s the same thing Mac said.

  “Trust me. Whoever that was who used to come and bring us flowers and charm the shamrocks off the walls is not the same man who is here. They look the same, but that’s about it.”

  “Honey.” Lilly could hear the lecture coming. “Marriage is a sacrifice sometimes. But you can make it better, be nice, treat him like a man. Let him be in charge. You put in some effort, try to look your best, smile. You need to smile more. It’s just how it’s done, Lilly. You should be thankful you will have such a privileged life. You know what it is like to grow up poor. You have no idea how comforting it is to know your children won’t have to bear that burden.”

  The thought of procreating with Colin sent the freckles screaming right off her nose.

  “Mom, stop. I tried. He was awful from the first day.”

  “Oh, yer bein' dramatic. You always try to make things out to be so much worse. If he didn’t love you, would he have spent all that money to visit and help Topher pay for yer school all those years even before yer marriage was arranged? The world puts too much focus on being happy. Duty. Fulfilling your obligations. That is how you get by in this life. Do yer duty. Show him you want him to be happy. You said he wants you to lose some of yer…” Lilly could hear her take a deep breath and hold back a cough, “yer extra. You’ve always been a bit too ripe for most men’s taste. Try. Take a walk, show him yer tryin'.”

  Lilly bit on her upper lip, blew out a deep breath and held the phone off her ear for a long moment.

  “I need to go. I’ll see if I can get him to let you come sooner. You sound bad.”

  Not that her mom had sounded good for a long time.

  Even before the day they found Abigail on the side of the path to town with her shopping basket overturned and her lips turning blue, everyday still looked like a struggle to Lilly.

  “I’m fine. Do yer duty, Lilly. Do yer work and put in some effort. Do that hair of yers. I know yer lettin' it run as wild as a field of thistle without me. A man wants his woman to have some style, put some time into her appearance, not just let herself go. Yer too young and don’t know how it is yet. You have beautiful eyes. Get some makeup, a little bright red lipstick. Do yer part—”

  “Bye, Mom. I have to go. I love you but you’re driving me right into a big bottle of Jameson right now.”

  “Oh, honey. That’s another thing. Maybe you should cut back on the—”

  “Love you! Bye.” Lilly rolled her eyes, drew the phone back and tapped the red circle with a sigh.

  Lilly dug through her sable-colored canvas messenger bag and pulled at the snaps on the inside that gave her a little secret hiding place. Her fingers curled around the cool stainless steel flask.

  Come to mama. The only thing about this life that works is I always have a designated driver.

  Lilly closed her eyes as the burn warmed her from the inside. Even with the help of her liquid friend, when she closed her eyes, a flutter started in her legs and settled in her belly as a cut jaw, dark brow and glowing green eyes danced in her mind.

  Leave me alone. Please, go away.

  With another long draw on her medicine, Lilly could hear Flynn’s voice and the words he’d said to her when he’d found her alone in the boathouse the night of her birthday two months ago.

  You can’t go back and make a new beginning. But there’s no stopping you from starting again right now, right here.… I’m right here. And I fucking swear, Lilly, I’ll take you away if that’s what you want.

  Since that first night when Colin left her sitting at the dinner table, humiliated and stunned, the boathouse had turned into her church. A dot of light in the black sky. A place where for at least a moment, everything else faded away and she could breathe.

  It was also the place where she and Flynn had shared their secrets. For months, they stole moments of solitude there. Then, the secrets turned into feelings, and Lilly knew what other people meant when they talked about finding someone, someone who felt like home.

  A home she’d never had before—one that felt safe, warm, protective, abiding. It made her angry knowing he was out there, his very existence making her feel things that could only make her life harder.

  BZZZZZZZ

  Lilly jumped, her eyes darting to the phone on her desk. Someone had sent Ana a text.

  Jesus. What a mess. I need to get out of here. I’ll finish the work at home.

  Her cheeks were warm as she handed the phone back to Ana and made her way outside to the idling limo and her two black-suited comrades, waiting to be sure she got home from the dance safe and sound every night.

  “Oh, yes, thanks for asking, I had a wonderful day. How about you?” She looked into the indifferent eyes of Igor as he held open the door.

  The door slammed, and she let the buzz in her brain take over. The limo hummed below her, and she leaned her head back, letting her mind go where she knew there were monsters waiting.

  How will this story end Romeo? I think I’ve read this one…

  Chapter Eleven

  Sunlight fought to find its way into the living room around Gideon’s frame from where he stood in the doorway to the guest house.

  He handed a set of car keys to his brother with the same smirk that had looked back at Flynn since they were boys.

  “I’m waiting.” Gideon smiled as Flynn turned his back in hopes that his half-wit, half-brother would leave without speaking.

  “Fuck off. Get out. Then, fuck off again.” Flynn grabbed his gym bag, heading to the kitchen to fill his water bottle.

  “For my thank you.” Gideon enunciated every word, making Flynn’s fists ball.

  “Get. The. Fuck. Out,” Flynn mocked him without turning.

  “You know,” Gideon rubbed his chin then settled his arms crossed over his white dress shirt and blood red, silk tie, “if Dad doesn’t kill you, her father will.”

  “Are you damaged? What part of ‘get the fuck out’ is confusing you?” Flynn still didn’t meet his eyes as he tightened the cap on his water bottle and shoved it into his red and black nylon bag.

  “I’m not the one confused. Go get laid; get it out of your system. Dad hired two new maids, nice, young. Of course, they are over eighteen; no laws will be broken here.” Gideon curled his lips to the side. “Dip your wick, clear your head. Just please, tell me you’re staying away from our soon-to-be new mommy. I mean, what the fuck is the draw? She reminds me of a peasant girl who’s been stuffing a bit too much cake down her gullet.”

  Flynn’s back muscles clenched. He could hear the blood begin to rush in his ears like the sound of the ocean in a conk shell.

  Don’t fucking engage, man. He’s not worth it.

  “Jesus, what the fuck? I’m leaving, so get out the fucking door. You’re a dick.” Flynn held his bag in one hand, and his other was quickly turning into a cannon with the fuse lit.

  Gideon didn’t move.

  He stood square in the doorway, daring his brother to push by, to ignite the ever-burning tension that sparked between the half-blood brothers.

  “I’m trying to help you. You’ve never given a shit about some split tail before. Granted, you seem to have some holier-than-thou complex about the girls around here, but I know you, man. Don’t pretend to be some fucking saint. How many girls have you fucked and you didn’t even know their names? Huh
?”

  “At least mine weren’t bought and paid for by Dad.”

  “Hey, Dad brings them in; they can’t resist my charms.” Gideon adjusted his tie. “Most of them think they are special, I will fall in love, and we will live here happily ever after. It’s a fun game. For me.”

  “Fuck off. Jesus. Get the fuck out of the way.” Flynn shouldered into him by the door, but Gideon only leaned into his push.

  “I want you to fall in fucking line, bro. You don’t know what a good thing we have going here. And, with little Miss Fire-Hair at the keyboard, we are set to launch into a whole new world. Legit. No more managing whores and crack dealers for the next generation. Don’t get in her head and fuck this up. Don’t think just because you’re blood, we won't fucking make you disappear. Trust me, Dad doesn’t care who you are anymore. All he wants is for his new, brainy bride to finish her project, pay off the old family debt and set his dick inside that little bitch until—”

  It took less than a second between when Flynn opened his hand and the gym bag hit the floor to the first sickening thud of Gideon’s head against the wood frame of the doorway.

  Flynn took him down in a flash of legs and fire breathing. When Gideon finally recovered for a split-second, Flynn stalled his efforts by cocking back and laying siege to Gideon’s left jaw.

  Even though Flynn had caught his brother unaware, Gideon was a trained fighter at the top of his game. Within ten seconds, he had his legs around Flynn’s waist, flipping him off and kicking him into the wall.

  The frame of the already shattered mirror came crashing down. Flynn felt the corner of the table dig into the middle of his back. A bright flash of something most would register as extreme pain exploded in his brain.

  “What the fuck! You’re a fucking animal, you know that?” Gideon shot to stand up, arms bowed, chest out as he dragged both hands through his hair.

  Flynn felt his entire body vibrating as if low voltage ran through him as he fought the urge to wrap his fingers around Gideon’s throat and introduce him to the next life.