by Amy Brent
My father wasn't doing a very good job of protecting me from Tony right now – and that was obviously who I needed protection from.
“From Deacon, of course,” my dad said.
“Why would you – ”
“Don't assume I'm stupid or naive, Emelia,” my dad said, his voice rising. “I know how to check phone records. I know a lot more than you think I do. There is literally nothing that goes on in this house that I don't know about. You would do well to remember that while you're living under my roof.”
“What do you know exactly, father?” I said. “What is there to know? That I called Deacon? Big deal.”
Tony moved to pinch me again, but I grabbed his hand roughly and pulled it away from my thigh. He looked at me, an expression of surprise on his face – and a light in his eyes that said I would pay for that insolence later, when my father wasn't present and couldn't stop him. I had no doubt that Tony was the kind of man who liked to slap his women around. Beat them. Maybe worse. And I knew that he viewed me as a spirited horse that needed to be broken – and that he would enjoy trying to do just that.
My father wiped his mouth with his napkin and smiled. “I know that you and Deacon were close. I know that you let him in,” he said. “Because my men had been watching you, for some time actually, before swooping in and picking you up from that motel. I also know you called him earlier today, on the cell phone I gave you. Which is no longer in your possession, I might add.”
I had left the phone on the desk in my room before coming down for dinner, but my father dropped it upon the table with a thud. I stared at him, my mouth agape and a cold finger of dread sliding up my spine.
“Why did you even let me have it then?” I growled. “If you were only going to use it to spy on me?”
“Because I knew you'd reach out to him,” my dad said, smiling ever so wide, “I also knew he'd come for you, child. And trust me when I say that we have plans for Deacon Murphy. Big plans for him. I can't wait, actually. And I'm excited that you get to watch what we do to him.”
My heart sank and a knot tightened painfully in my belly. All of this was a trap, and now, there I was, a prisoner in my own home, completely unable to reach out to Deacon to warn him. He was going to walk into an ambush that was likely going to get him killed and it was all my fault.
“Why are you doing this, father?” I asked, tears welling in my eyes. “You have me back now. Why not just let him go?”
“Because he took something that belongs to me,” my father said. “And not only that, he took something that belonged to Tony as well. And for that, I'm going to let Tony have some fun with him too. He is going to pay a steep price for thinking he could just waltz in and take that which was not his. He – and his entire brood – need to learn their place.”
I stared at the two men who were now grinning at me, waiting for me to say something. But my heart hurt too much. It was breaking at the mere thought of them hurting Deacon. I wanted to scream, cry, to fight back. But there was nothing I could do. Tony had put his hand on my thigh again and gripped it even tighter. And the way he looked at me – like I was a piece of meat ready to be devoured – scared me to death. If he knew I was no longer a virgin, did that mean he was going to have his way with me long before our wedding? Would my father let him?
I looked at my dad, and I so badly wanted to plead with him. I so badly wanted to hurt him.
“I'm not an object, dad,” I said, the tears sliding down my cheeks. “I'm your little girl. Why are you doing this to me?”
His eyes softened slightly – but only for a moment. They returned to the cold, hard chips of diamond that they usually were. Devoid of all emotion.
“The question should be, why did you do this to me, Emelia?” he asked. “Why did you betray your family like this?”
“I didn't – I didn't mean to,” I pleaded. “It just happened, but I promise – I won't stray again. I swear it. Just leave him be, father.”
“No, you won't do this again,” he said. “That much, I can guarantee.”
“Just leave Deacon out of this,” I said. “Please.”
Both men laughed – and not just the evil little chuckles of bad men doing bad things. No, these were full on belly laughs that shook their entire bodies. I remained silent, not sure what was so funny, but apparently it was something they thought was hilarious. The longer they laughed, the angrier I grew. But before I could unleash a verbal assault, my father spoke.
“No way, Emelia,” he said. “Like I told you, he took something that belonged to me, and he's going to pay. Dearly. There's nothing you can do about it now.”
ooo000ooo
Tony had tried to follow me to my bedroom – and I had no doubt what was going through his mind – but my father stopped him. Thankfully.
“What? She's already been with a man, why does it matter?” he asked, pitching his voice loud enough that I could hear him.
“You're still under my roof and she's still my daughter,” my father said. “I don't want that happening down the hall from where I'm sleeping. Wait until she's yours, Tony. Then, feel free to do with her whatever you wish.”
Tony grumbled, but I was thankful. I looked back down at the two men who stared at me with open hostility and disdain. I was a dirty, vile thing to them – nothing more than used merchandise. My father was likely angry about that, and Tony – well Tony would just use that as an excuse to take whatever he wanted from me whenever he wanted. I had no doubts that he believed I was going to be made to pay for my sins by his hand. I had no doubt that he would take every opportunity to degrade and humiliate me.
I had to make sure he never got the chance. Neither one of them knew I was pregnant with Deacon's child – and I shuddered to think what they would do to me if they did know. All I knew for certain was that I didn't want to find out.
Even though they didn't follow me, I knew there were people watching me. I knew I wasn't alone. My father showed that he didn't trust me, which told me that he was going to keep eyes on me every minute of every day. If I was going to make a break for it, I was going to have to be incredibly clever. Or incredibly lucky.
As I slipped into my room, I walked over to the patio door, hoping to step out and get some fresh air. But I found that the door wouldn't open. I fumbled with the lock and rattled the door, hoping that it was just stuck. But looking down, I saw why it wouldn't budge and my heart sank. My father had sealed the doors shut. I wasn't going out that way.
I went over to my window. Same thing. Then to the bathroom where I checked the tiny window above the bath – and it too was sealed shut. As if he expected me to slink out of a tiny window on the second story of our home. I was well and truly trapped inside my room with absolutely no way out of it.
Suddenly, I felt very claustrophobic. I was literally locked away, a prisoner in my own home. No way to reach out to Deacon, no way to even escape from the home. No phone, no internet. No way of communicating with the outside world at all. I had nothing.
I fell against the bathroom door, drew my knees up to my chest and buried my head in my hands, as I started to panic. I felt like I was on the verge of hyperventilating and my heart was racing like I'd just run a marathon. I was scared not just for me and my unborn child, but also for Deacon. My father had set up a trap for him, and I had unwittingly lured Deacon right into it.
I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't let him be hurt. As much as I wanted to have this baby, if it meant Deacon would be dead and I'd be tied to Tony for the rest of my life, then I might as well be dead. There was no way I coud live with Tony and without Deacon. I wouldn't.
And you better bet, I was going to fight like hell to make sure none of that happened.
DEACON
I was at a gas station outside the city, debating with myself about what my next move should be. I hadn't heard from Emelia since that first phone call, and I wasn't sure if I should call her back or not. I didn't want her to get in trouble, and I sure as hell didn't want
for us to be discovered – who knew what kind of danger that would put her in if her father found out I was calling.
I knew where the Antonelli's lived, that wasn't the issue. But I also knew there was no way I could just stroll up to the front door and ask for Emelia. There was no way I was going to be able to just walk up in there and save the day – at least, now without at least a hundred armed guards drawing down on me. No, going up to the front doors was out of the question – it would only end with me in a body bag.
I stared at my phone, debating about whether or not I should call her. I knew that I had to worry about calling her because I feared that doing so would only be putting her in danger. Without knowing what was going on inside that house, I couldn't be sure what was happening – or what might happen. I couldn't be sure of anything honestly.
With no better options presenting themselves to me, I decided to reach out to an old friend – someone I'd trusted more than anyone else at one point in time. But he was part of the group that had led the coup that ousted me from my own Brotherhood. I didn't know how deeply involved with the group he was and I couldn't be certain if he was working with Colin and Sean's guys or not. I had to hope that despite everything that happened, when the chips were down, he would remain loyal to me.
And there was only one way to find out.
I looked at my phone and took a deep breath, letting it out as I dialed up his number and then waited for him to answer. As I listened to the ringing on the line, I realized that I was using a burner and he wouldn't have this phone number, so he might not answer. But I held out hope that I'd get lucky.
“Hey, who's this?” the voice said on the other end of the phone.
“Neil?” I said. “It's – ”
Before I could even say my name, he recognized my voice and when he spoke, I thought I heard something that sounded like relief in his voice.
“Deacon?” he asked. “Is that really you, man?”
“Yeah, it's me,” I said. “I'm sorry to call you like this – ”
“Listen, man, the others wouldn't be too happy if they knew you were calling me, but I'm just glad to hear you're alive. You planning on coming back and kicking a little ass? Going to take the big seat back?”
I cringed at the question he'd asked. At one time, the Brothers had been my entire life. I'd worked my ass off to get to the top of the heap. I'd battled to put myself in the big seat, to put myself in a position to make the calls and command their respect. I'd given my life to those guys and to the Brotherhood.
But after what went down – and now knowing about Emelia and the baby – I couldn't risk it. I couldn't risk getting back into the life. And suprisingly enough, I found I didn't want to get back into it. At one time, the life had appealed to me. Had sent a jolt of electricity through me. But now? Now, it was just something I'd done – a life filled with some things I'd done that I regretted. I didn't want to be part of that life anymore.
“Nah, man,” I said quietly. “I think the Brotherhood is probably better with somebody else in charge, you know? After all that went down, I don't think I can get back into the big seat. It wouldn't be the same and I'd always be wondering who was plotting to take me down next.”
“We miss you, brother,” he said. “At least some of us do, anyway. And we'd most definitely love to see you back in charge, man. These guys are dicks.”
“Not going to happen, Neil,” I said. “I don't see how it would even be possible, honestly. But that's not why I'm calling. That's a bridge we'll cross another time. No, what I need to know is whether or not you know anything about the Antonellis? I know Colin was working with the old man, didn't know if others were too, but – ”
“Yeah, we are,” Neil said. “Or rather, some of the guys are. I'm just going along with whatever to keep myself from getting killed. I didn't think you were alive or I'd have – ”
'”It's okay, I'm not blaming you for anything,” I said. “It's not your fault, man.”
Neil sounded surprised by how easily I let this betrayal go – but I knew it would help me in the end. Or at least, I hoped it would.
“In fact,” I went on, “if you have any intel on the Antonelli's, that would be incredibly helpful right now.”
“Intel? Like what?” Neil asked. “What are you plannin' Deacon?”
“It's hard to explain, and I doubt you'll understand it all anyway, Neil. And besides, the less you know is probably safer for you,” I said. “But what I need to know is whether you got anything about their household. Anything at all could help.”
“Honestly, I don't know much,” Neil said. “I'm not trusted with that kind of inside info, man. I'm barely hanging on over here, you know?”
“I know. I figured as much, but I wanted to ask anyway,” I said with a sigh.
As much as I appreciated Neil's loyalty, it would seem like he was not going to be of any use to me after all. At least, not in that moment – which meant it was probably best to keep on good terms with him.
“Thank you, Neil,” I said. “If you hear anything – ”
“Yeah, of course. No sweat, man,” he said. “But I gotta tell you, I hate working with these assholes. We have some fancy ball or shit at the house tomorrow night. Colin's tellin' everyone they have to go to this stupid shit and – ”
“Everyone?”
“Well at least within their network. Colin's saying it's a business event, of sorts,” he said. “I dunno, just that I have to wear a fancy tie and shit and I'm not looking forward to it in the least. But at least there's gonna be food catered in from some fancy restaurant, so it's not a total loss, I guess.”
“Sounds like fun,” I said sarcastically.
It actually sounded like the exact opposite of fun and something I never would have done in the big seat – I never would have climbed into bed with scum like Antonelli. Never in a million years. But I knew that with both Antonellis' men and the Irish there, it would be a well-guarded building. So at least I knew to avoid heading over there tomorrow night unless I wanted to get myself shot.
But as the thoughts swirled through my mind, an idea suddenly started to form. Admittedly, it wasn't the brightest or sanest of ideas, but it was an idea nonetheless – which was more than I had five minutes ago.
“So hey,” I asked. “What's being catered in? You know the name of the restaurant?”
“I dunno exactly. I guess Antonelli's aunt owns some restaurant downtown – I can't remember the name off hand,” he said. “Some family business, that's all I know. And it's supposed to be the best Italian food in Chicago, so hey – free food, right? That's a win.”
“Sounds good,” I said. “Anyway, I should run. But thanks again, man. I appreciate you talking to me.”
“Sorry I couldn't be of much help,” he said.
“Nah, you were great,” I said.
Neil thought he hadn't been of much help to me, but he really didn't have any idea how much he'd actually helped me out. Even though I trusted Neil and believed him when he'd said that he – and others – wanted to see me back in the big seat, I just couldn't trust him enough to let him in on the plan. When it came to Emelia, I couldn't really trust anybody. Wouldn't. Not when her life and her safety were on the line.
Thankfully though, he had never been the brightest guy in the group and didn't stop to ask questions others might have. Which worked for me. Because when we hung up, and I immediately Googled the family restaurant, trying to dig up the name.
And it didn't take long for the name to pop up. Domenicos. Perfect. I got the address and I was off to scope the place out and see what I could see. Because when tomorrow night rolled around, I was going to be ready.
I was getting into that house one way or another, even if it killed me. And I knew going in that the chances were good, it just might.
EMELIA
I clung to the bedspread that was covering me up and hiding away from my father, Tony, and the rest of the world. Staring up at the ceiling, I still couldn't believe I
was back there, in the home I'd grown up in. It was beautiful and decadent, there was no question about it. But as luxurious as it was there, I'd take a cheap hotel that had a bed with a lumpy, uncomfortable mattress with Deacon any day over this. I wanted out. And I wanted out quickly. The problem was, I just wasn't sure how I would go about getting myself out.
Not knowing what else to do, I tried to turn my thoughts from my current predicament to something else. Anything. But as I laid there, my mind seemed to gravitate naturally toward Deacon. I missed laying next to his naked body, feeling the hard angles and planes of his body pressed to mine. I missed the way he touched me, the way he kissed me. I missed the scent of his body, the sound of his voice.
I yearned for him with such an intensity that my body ached with a need I feared may never be met again. Closing my eyes and feeling that familiar fire ignite between my thighs whenever I thought of him, I let my hand slide down lower on my body. I imagined Deacon hovering above me, kissing me deeply as he pressed himself against me and that fire low inside of me started to burn out of control.
I feared that I might never experience Decon sexually again – my fantasies might be all that I had left. As I touched myself, I imagined that it was him touching me – his fingers circling my clit, pressing against my opening. My body arched upward and I craved more. I needed more.
Reaching into my bedside table, I pulled out the vibrator I'd used countless times before Deacon came into my life. It was long and thick and meant to feel realistic – but there was absolutely nothing in this world that would ever feel the same as having his hard, thick, throbbing cock inside of me – I knew that now. Still, it would have to do.
Turning it on low, I massaged my clit as I imagined Deacon's tongue licking and savoring my pussy. He knew exactly how to make me cum in a matter of seconds using nothing but his tongue. I pressed it firmly against me, circling and teasing myself – but the vibrator wasn't getting me anywhere close. Not yet.
So, I shifted my thoughts to remembering the way he'd filled me up and stretched me open with his cock. And as my pussy grew hotter and wetter as the memories flooded my mind, I shoved the vibrator deep inside of me. I gasped, shuddering as I got used to the sensation. With my eyes closed, my back arched as I moved it in and out of me, I eventually got myself so lost in the fantasies, I could almost feel Deacon fucking me.