by Bry Ann
My eyes widen. “You… you have contacts like that? What if they turn on you?”
He smirks. “They won’t.”
“But…”
“Shhh, stop worrying. I got this. I’ve been doing this a long time. I know what I’m doing.”
“You can’t get arrested.” My heart feels like it’s gonna beat out of its chest. My breathing is all over the place. I’m shaking.“You can’t. I can’t… Adam… I…”
Adam’s hands grip my sides.
“Shhh, breathe, Lacey. You’re having a panic attack. I need you to breathe for me.” “I can’t… I can’t get air…”
My breath goes quicker and quicker until I am hyperventilating, trying to pull away from Adam.
“Come on, Lacey. I got you. I’m here. I’m not getting arrested.”
I even hear the small, disbelieving laugh that slips out of him. Like the mere idea of getting arrested is ridiculous to him.
Finally, the panic attack starts to subside and a wave of exhaustion hits me. I feel like I’ve just run the world’s longest race. I collapse into Adam’s chest. He catches me, and rubs small circles along my back.“I got you. I’m here, okay?”
“You’re ruining me. If I lose you…” I choke on my words.
“Hey, the feeling’s mutual, little dove.”
I scoff. “No, it’s not.” “It absolutely is! If something happened to you or Rose, I don’t know what I’d do.”
“You promise?”
“Yes. I feel like I’m failing you, because you don’t already know that.”
“No,” I murmur against his chest. “I’m tired.”
He lays me back. I curl into him as he softly rubs my hair. Sleep is calling my name.
“So, no to planning some of the wedding tonight?”I feel my eyes start to open back up, but I can literally feel the bags on my face.
“No, I want to!”
He laughs. “Lacey, you look like the human embodiment of sleep right now.”
I can’t help but laugh at that. “Maybe just a little.”
“Okay, little dove. Where shall we start?”
Sven
“Sven!” Boss snaps.
I jump to attention. “Yes?”
Boss is vibrating with anger. I can feel it. He held it together for Lacey. Didn’t lose his mind and come cut the guy to pieces right away, for her. She would have known what he did. Lacey knows who Boss is, but he doesn’t rub it in her face either. He showed inhuman self-control there.
It’s gone now, and if Ricardo wasn’t such a fucking idiot, I’d feel sorry for him. As it stands, who the fuck messes with the Boss’s woman, and his kid? A dumb fuck. That’s who.
“Is Ricardo still in there?” I’m almost offended. “Of course.”
“And the leads. Was there anything credible about his threats to my daughter? I don’t give a fucking shit if the threat is a mailman in China, I want to know about it.”“I can assure you, he’s alone. He has no one working for him. There is no threat. It was the talk of a man with an ego to big for his skin getting bested by a small girl. I am one hundred percent sure of it, and I think you know this as well.”
He nods and balls his hands into fists.
“I’m gonna go teach him a small lesson in loyalty. Feel free to stay out here. It’s not your scene.”
Blood.
“Alright, Boss.”
“And Sven?” “Boss?”
“Good work.”
He disappears behind the door without a second glance. He’s referring to me having Lacey’s back. Of course I freaking did. I was going down the hall to grab Rose from Mirial. I was supposed to be watching her. I rounded the corner right as Lacey landed a solid fist right to Ricardo’s face. Gotta say, that was one of the best things I have ever seen. An ex-assassin, a member of the mafia, getting his ass handed to him by a small, albeit extremely well-trained, girl. When he knocked her back with such force, I was sure she was going to wind up with a concussion. I knew I had to intervene. I mean, come on. I’m the furthest thing from a good guy, but Lacey’s sustained enough injuries for this whole house combined.
Boss comes out at least an hour later, arm-deep in blood. He pulls his suit jacket together, and walks with dignity, as if he isn’t walking violence in this moment. He rarely, if ever, gets his hands dirty. This is rare, and personal, which is very unfortunate for Ricardo. To say his most-definite death was less than pleasant is an understatement if I’ve ever heard one.
“It’s done. Call for a clean up. Meet me in the main room in twenty.”
Then he’s off. There’s so much shit going on right now, he’s in full focus mode. That said, I do as I’m told. I get a clean up for the room. Ricardo won’t be a problem anymore. After I get the clean up assignment done, I head to the main room. Of course, Boss is already there, pacing the floor.
“Where are we on the Miguel situation?” He says the second I enter the room.
“Close. I have intel on where they’re going to be next. I just want to confirm it before we send the cavalry down.”
“Alright. If Lacey finds out about any of this, she’ll fall apart. She’ll have a nervous breakdown.”
He side-eyes me tentatively.
“I know, Boss.”
“And Rose needs her mom. I’m not fucking cut out for this job.”
He frantically runs his hand through his hair. I’m not even sure which job he means at this point, being Boss or being a father, but he seems to be doing pretty well on both fronts.
“Fucking hell. I can’t kill them all.”
He slams his hand on the side table.
“Smarts, Boss. You can outsmart them all.”
“Any ideas here, Sven? I’m losing my patience.” “You need to find out why they sided with him, and top the offer.” I flick my thumb and forefinger together. “Anyone can be bought, convinced, or manipulated. Anyone. You just need the right ammo.”
“You and Lacey both have a lot in common,” he grumbles. “You think you can figure that one out, great, let me know when you do. I absolutely do not like being outnumbered by this guy, and none of us will be sleeping until that is no longer the case.”
“Yes, Boss. Side note: is Lacey’s head okay?”
“Yeah, she seems fine.”
“Is your head okay?”
He turns around and glares at me. “Go do your fucking job, Sven. Glad to see you’re feeling more like yourself again.”
I laugh as I make my way out of the room. There are very few people who could get away with what I just said and did. Boss and I are more than business partners, we are also friends. I’d have to really cross a line for him to kill me.
Not even an hour later, I am in the office of a man who owes me a rather large favor.
“Sven? It’s a surprise to see you here.”
He laughs nervously.
“Is it? It shouldn’t be. You owe me and I’ve come to collect.” “Right, of course. Come have a seat.”
He says that despite the fact that I am already in the chair across from him with my feet propped up. Some people try to exude power and control, but it just comes out pathetic. Stay in your fucking lane.
“I need information on Miguel Castello.”
His eyes widen, and he throws his hands under his desk.
“I… I… um…”
I whip my gun out and slam it on the table, turning it sideways.
“You what? I’m not patient, my friend.”
“He’s got resources. More than you.” “Not more than my Boss!”
“Sir, he’s very angry. And he has all the drug money, plus his father had information on almost everybody. Blackmail is powerful.”
“It is indeed. Who is working with him? I need every name, every ounce of detail you have over them. You get me that, you’re in the clear. I’ll never bother you again.”
His eyes go even wider. That’s all he’s wanted for years, to be free to do his business without me butting in.
> “That’s a death wish, mi amigo.”
“Well, being in debt with me for nearly a decade is also a death wish, mi amigo.”
He bites his bottom lip hard. “If I do this—”
“Not if. When you do this. Continue.” I wave my hand, gesturing for him to go on.
He looks like he’s ready to shit his pants. Well, I have no sympathy for him. He shouldn’t have looked the other way when he saw Gregario kill Savannah. He’s just lucky he’s breathing. I killed everyone else involved in my old life. If Miguel kills him, I honestly don’t give a fuck.
“Give me a few days,” he says with a sigh.
I stand, sending my chair flying back.
“You have two. If I don’t have my information by then, I’ll do what I should have done years ago, and you’ll wish Miguel had killed you.”
I leave without a second thought. Fuck him, acting like he’s above the rest of us. Turning away is just as bad, if not worse, than committing the crime yourself.
I storm out of there. Thank God I’m not driving back, because I’d probably get in an accident. There’s too much adrenaline pumping through my veins. The second I get back, I storm off to my room, throw on a pair of sweats, and practically sprint to the boxing room. I need this before I seriously fucking kill someone.
“Come here, you stupid fucking cunt.”
Savannah turns to me. For the first time ever, the hard, distasteful expression she wears constantly around me vanishes.
“Look, kid. If you have any sense, you’ll stay here.”
I don’t understand. The door swings open. Gregario walks in with his goons. I crawl back and hide under the table, letting the table cloth block most of my body, like Savannah said to do.“You bitch! You think you can cheat on me? ME? I’ll show you. Where’s the kid? You better fucking tell me.” He yanks on her hair so hard she screams. I start to shake. Why is he being mean to Savannah? He’s always nice to Savannah. I’m confused. I don’t want to come out. If he’s hurting her, what will he do to me?
“Where is he, Savvy?”
The sound of him smacking her echoes throughout the room. If I was shaking before, now I really am. He’s crazed and drunk. All red flags. Blaring red sirens in this place.
“Oh, Sven,” he sings, “where are you? Your mommy needs you.” I hear her knees slam into the concrete.
“You’re sick, Gio. I’m not the kid’s fucking mom.”
“Shut up!” He smacks her hard across the face.
“Come on, Sven. Let’s help Mommy.” Help her? Can I help her? I’m so scared, but I somehow get my legs to work. I crawl out from under the table and stand on shaking legs.
“Help Mom?” I say shakily.
Savannah’s head drops to her chest. Then she looks up through all her makeup and hair and glares up at him.
“You just don’t do it for me anymore, Greg,” she spits. “I’m not the kid’s fucking mom, and the whole situation with him is sick. I didn’t sign up for that.”
Gregario’s face goes red. Drunk man red.
“Sven, come here.” All the big, angry men in the room stare at me. I feel like I’m gonna be sick.
“Mom?”
This time, Savannah doesn’t tell me it’s not true. She subtly shakes her head. I look between the two of them and decide to stay put like Savannah said. Gregario literally growls.
“No fucking bitch cheats on me.”
Before I can blink or get my little mind to wrap around what’s happening, one of the men pulls out a shotgun and shoots Savannah directly in the forehead. I scream and try to run over to her, but Gregario holds out a hand. I’m trembling so hard, I can’t blink. I can’t think. It’s not until this moment, with her blood pooling on the floor, that I realize these people aren’t my family, and she really isn’t my mom. She didn’t really love me. That hurts. I loved her, though. Even if she didn’t love me.
“Go bury her, kid, unless you want her to rot in here, which I’m fine with. Up to you.” He shrugs, and grins back at his friends. They all start laughing.
“When you’re done with that, meet me back in the studio. I’m not done with you.”
I throw the doors to the boxing gym open. I hear a gasp. Lacey is standing there, dripping in sweat in a tank top and shorts. This isn’t her training time.
“Fuck!” I yell, shielding my eyes like a teen boy in the wrong locker room. Not before I got a glimpse, though. If I hadn’t already somewhat admired Lacey, that just skyrocketed tenfold. I’ve never seen a human being, with the exception of Cut, so banged up. She’s riddled with scars, burns, and old, unhealed injuries. Her body is literally what’s left of a battlefield after it’s decimated everything in its path, leaving nothing but the ground to rebuild.
A shriek filled the room when I entered, and now I hear her scrambling around for her jacket.
“I’m good,” she says timidly. “I’m sorry. We had to switch times, and I didn’t think.” She nibbles on her bottom lip and fidgets. I have to swallow my shock. She hides enough as it is.
I feel Cut watching us from the corner of the room, waiting to see what I’m going to do. For such a large man with a standout appearance, he sure is inconspicuous.
“Sorry, Lace.” I try not to sound like I’m ready to murder her as well, because that’s the mood I’m in. I spin on my heel.
“Sven?”
“Yes?” I say over my shoulder.
Let me the fuck out, Lacey. I’m gonna lose it.
“You okay?”
“Fine,” I say. Even I can tell my voice is clipped. I see her hesitate for a moment.
“Wanna box with us?”
Her voice is so quiet that I barely hear her. My eyebrows raise as I spin on my heel.
“What?”
She picks at the edge of her zip-up hoodie. Cut is looking at her with intense interest.
“You seem upset, and… you want to?” I really can barely hear her.
“I need to hit something,” I say.
“Not my face. Okay?”
She gives me a tentative smile through her hair. I find myself laughing. Her joking right now was very unexpected.
“I can do that.” “Okay.”
She looks at Cut, shaking slightly. He gives her a nod. There’s no encouragement or emotion in his brutal gaze, but it seems to give her something. She grabs the zipper on her hoodie and then looks at me, pleading with me not to judge her. I soften myself as much as I can right now. She’s helping me calm down. Replacing some of the old memories with new ones. I know this is huge for her.
She slowly slides the jacket down and off her shoulders. She wraps her arms around herself. Cut doesn’t give her even a moment to hide.
“Sven, grab some guards. Lacey, hit them, aiming for his face. If he can’t block you, just hit him.”
With that lovely little note, Cut steps back to watch. I grab the guards and watch as Lacey struggles to put on her gloves. She’s shaking too hard to get them on. I try to stay patient while she does that. I want to punch the bags while I wait, but I know she’ll take that personally. For some damn reason, she’s really placing a lot of trust in me right now. I have the power to crush her here, but I don’t want to.
Cut eventually walks over and helps her get fight-ready without a word. They have some unspoken bond, but neither will admit to it or show it outwardly. She doesn’t even thank him when he’s done, which is so unlike her.
“Sorry. Um, ready?”
I nod. She lets out a first swing. It’s weak. She’s so uncomfortable that she’s not focused.
“Lacey!” Cut snaps. “Get your head in it or one hundred push-ups.”
One hundred?! Damn, he doesn’t fuck around.
She lets out a harder punch. Then harder and harder, until I’m seeing a side of Lacey I wasn’t sure existed. Anger. Anger like what lives inside of me. She’s good. It’s good distraction training for me as well, because I am tempted to check out each one of her scars, to try to figure out the
ir story. She’s going so fast and hard though, that if I do that, she’ll hit me. No lie. And honestly, she’s going hard enough that I think it will hurt if she actually lands a punch. Not to mention, I need the outlet of swinging my arms around and pushing back, getting her fists out of my face.
Eventually we switch, but I know not to go ham on Lacey. Just challenge her. Yet again, she does way better than I expect. I’m actually working. It’s not easy. I throw Cut a look and he nods. I think that’s the closest he’d get to admitting he’s proud of her. She’s good, and not just for a chick. She’s just good. When she’s bordering on passing out, Cut calls it. I find it impressive as fuck that Cut calls it before she does. You’d think she’d take it easier on herself after all she’s suffered, but she doesn’t. In fact, she seems upset when he calls it even though her arms must be dead.
She limps over to her jacket and throws it back on quickly. I grab a sip of water. I’m still angry and tormented, but it’s not right on the surface like it was before. I definitely have her to thank for that. Before I can throw her a bone and admit she helped me out when she knew I needed it, her hand is on my shoulder. I turn to look at her fragile face.
“Thank you for not judging me, Sven,” she whispers in a mousy voice. Before I can respond, she’s gone. I hear the door banging against its hinges. I clamp my open mouth shut. She really is an anomaly of a human being.
I’m wiping the sweat from my forehead when Cut walks over, face in its usual resting scowl.
“I was scared I was going to have to kick your ass.”
I hide my smirk from him. “I wouldn’t want to fight ya, Cut.” There’s a momentary softening of his face. “You handled that well. Thanks. That’s my girl out there. That was good to see. There’re only three people she’s let in here so far: me, your Boss, and some guy with bracelets. This was a huge step for her. You need anything, you let me know.” He grabs his bag and walks out without saying another word. So the hulk has a soft heart. Interesting.
Lacey
A Month Later
I’m in a white dress. A. White. Dress. This is so cliche. When I was a young girl full of hopes and dreams, well, to be honest, I didn’t even think about this then. I never had big dreams. I was a farm girl, and up until the day I was taken away, that was all I ever wanted. Simplicity. I can’t believe there’s a man on this earth who I want to tie myself to forever.