Eli had run to his office to grab his pistol before recruiting six men to help him. The boy led them back to the dock and pointed to a ship whose gangplank was still lowered.
“This way!” Eli ordered. He ran up the gangplank and felt it vibrate under his feet as the other men followed.
The deck of the ship was surprisingly empty, at least for the moment. Breathing hard, he stood poised for a fight as his men fanned out behind him.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” a man’s voice growled from above.
Eli looked up just as a sailor dropped from the rigging to land in front of him.
“I’m here for my friend, asshole,” Eli said and punched the man in the face.
That was all it took. Chaos ensued for a few moments as more sailors came at them. Anger and fear caused pure adrenaline to consume his body as he swung his fist this way and that. He didn’t even see who he was hitting but loved the satisfaction every time he felt another nose crunch.
“Stop! I said stop!”
A male voice finally broke through his red haze. Eli recognized the call of authority and immediately brought his pistol up to point straight into the captain’s face.
“My friend was brought here against his will,” Eli said through clenched teeth. “I want him back.”
“I bought him.”
“Be glad the only thing you’re losing today is your money,” Eli told him.
The captain glared at him as he gave a nod to one of his men. A minute later, Jason appeared. Eli couldn’t relax, though all he wanted to do was pull Jason to him and kiss him.
“Let’s go,” he ordered his men, and slowly they retraced their path down the gangplank, making sure to maintain eye contact with the captain until they were off the ship.
His men gathered around, and for the first time, he actually saw the remnants of the fight. Bloody noses, blackened eyes, busted lips, they were a sorry-looking lot.
“Get back to the club,” he told his men. “But be careful.”
The men nodded and disappeared into the crowd.
“Come on,” Eli said to Jason and grabbed his arm. He led him from the busy dock to an alley between two large buildings, far away from any prying eyes. There was a shadowed doorway that offered a bit of protection. Eli quickly pulled Jason into his arms and laid his forehead on Jason’s shoulder.
“Thanks for saving me,” Jason murmured as he stroked Eli’s hair.
Eli lifted his head and stared at him. “Don’t ever fucking do that to me again,” he said just before he lowered his head and captured Jason’s lips, sinking his tongue deep into his mouth and branding his ownership.
* * * *
A sense of relief shot through her as she saw Eli and several dealers from the club rush onto the dock, led by the boy, who pointed to the ship. In Eli’s hand was a pistol. Her breath caught in her throat, and her heart hammered erratically as she waited.
When Eli and his men reached the ship’s deck, several sailors rushed at them. She winced as punches landed, and even from her hiding spot, she could hear fists hitting flesh. Soon the captain appeared, and Eli stuck the pistol in his face. The captain stared at him, eyes squinted, and a few seconds later, he shouted for his men to stand down. She saw Eli tell him something, and a moment later, Jason was brought topside and thrust forward. Eli gave a shout for his men to leave, and they all backed away, heading from the ship, down the gangplank. He kept his pistol trained on the ship’s captain, though, until they were all safely on the dock. The ship’s crew pulled the gangplank up while screaming obscenities. Eli didn’t relax until they had moved far enough away from a retaliation shooting.
And once they were safe, Avilon slumped against the building she stood next to, holding a trembling hand to her heart. The whole incident lasted only a few minutes, but it had felt like a lifetime.
Then suddenly, the boy popped up in front of her, and she gave a little shriek. He laughed as he held out his hand.
Avilon reached into her reticule and extracted two gold coins. “Thank you,” she told him as she placed both coins in his hand.
The boy’s eyes widened as he stared at the money. Then he gave her a snarled-tooth grin, turned, and ran away, disappearing back into the crowd. Avilon smoothed down her skirt and left her spot to make her way after where she saw Eli and Jason head.
As she entered the alley, however, she didn’t see them and walked a little farther. Movement caught her eye, and she looked into a doorway. She stopped abruptly as she saw Eli and Jason kissing, their arms wrapped around each other tightly. And it felt like a fist had punched her heart.
Chapter Fourteen
Despite the bruises, life continued that night as if nothing unusual had happened. The men made jokes about practicing some unusual sexual positions from the girls upstairs, and it all became a ribald joke. Avilon didn’t exactly approve, but she understood the need for discretion. She didn’t think it was a coincidence that Jason just happened to be targeted for being shanghaied. The accountant’s office was nowhere near the docks, and they had asked the hackney cab to wait. But even Eli and Jason had admitted they had enemies, and the list was long.
She sat next to Homer, warming up her voice, thoughts swirling through her head. It wasn’t so much the excitement of the day, the near miss of losing Jason, but the fact that they had lied to her. Just when her heart had started to warm toward them, to maybe begin trusting her instincts around them, she had to find out they were lying to her.
She couldn’t help but watch them. She found herself sneaking peeks around corners to look at them, to see if she could find more evidence of their deception. And every gesture between them developed a new meaning, a deeper significance.
“Everything okay?” Homer asked.
Startled, Avilon glanced from where she stared at the open doorway of the theater to Homer’s weathered face. “Perfectly fine,” she managed to say.
“You’ve been acting funny.”
“Too much excitement, I guess,” she replied vaguely and glanced back toward the door. Seeing no one, she gave a sigh and rubbed her temples.
“You looking for someone?”
“What? Oh, no. Just…I thought I knew things. I thought my eyes were open. You know?”
Homer shook his head.
Avilon flashed a wry smile. “I found my sister’s name. Do you remember Louisie?”
“Yeah, I thought so.”
“You thought what?”
“You and she have the same eyes.”
Avilon felt her heart stutter in surprise. “You do remember her,” she whispered.
Homer nodded. “She sang occasionally when Millie was sick.”
“What was she…what is she like? I haven’t seen her in almost four years.”
“Louisie was sad, and that sadness dimmed some of her beauty. She’s not quite as vibrant as you.”
Tears welled in her eyes. It broke her heart that Homer, a stranger up until three weeks ago, was telling her who her sister had become.
“Do you know what made her sad?”
Homer shook his head.
Avilon swallowed the lump in her throat and dabbed at the corners of her eyes. Then she breathed deeply to hold back the tears.
“She’s alive,” Avilon told him firmly. “Somewhere she is alive.”
“Never thought otherwise,” Homer replied and started playing the piano again. “She talked a lot with a girl named Doll.”
Avilon crinkled her brow. “I know that name. Wait, she was one of the girls who also worked upstairs.”
“And Doll now works at Madame Duplee, two streets down on Pacific.”
Avilon laid her hand on his arm. “Thank you, Homer.”
He moved his arm, and her hand fell away. “Just don’t go there at night. Pacific Avenue is completely rotten.”
“I promise.”
* * * *
That night she found no joy in the music. Anger coated every note that came out. She didn’t flirt her w
ay across the stage, flipping her skirts back and forth or batting her eyelashes. All she wanted to do was finish her songs and retreat back into her room. Her mind kept flashing with the picture of Eli and Jason kissing, hiding in the darkness of a foul-smelling alley.
The half hour seemed to drag by, and when Homer played the ending note on the piano, Avilon turned and left the stage. The applause sounded halfhearted, not as enthusiastic as usual, but she didn’t care. She shut the door behind her then sat at her vanity, staring at her reflection. Waiting.
It didn’t take Eli long to come for her. He opened the door with force, a frown marring the space between his eyes.
“What type of singing was that?”
“I have a headache.”
One of his black eyebrows lifted. “Is it that time?”
“That time for what?”
He cleared his throat. “Your female time.”
Avilon had to laugh. “No, Eli. This afternoon gave me a headache. That’s all.”
“Good. Because Jason and I have a delightful evening planned.” He placed his hands on her shoulders, rubbed them. “Perhaps a hot bath? I can have a couple of the cooks start heating some water.”
“No,” she said and pulled her shoulders away from his touch. “I’ll take care of my own bath, thanks.”
His mouth hardened into a straight line as a frown marred the spot between his eyes. But he took the hint and backed away from her. He sat on the edge of the bed and watched as she unpinned her hair.
“I wanted to say thank you for your quick thinking today,” he finally said, breaking the mounting tension between them.
“I’m glad the boy didn’t dawdle,” she replied.
Again, silence fell. She kept her eyes on the mirror as she started brushing out tangles. She could feel his eyes on her.
“Actually, I may spend the night here,” she said. “Now that you mentioned it, I am due for my monthly flow soon, so I may as well take advantage of the bed in here.”
“You’re not talking to me.”
“I don’t have anything to say.”
He cocked his head as he studied her. “Are you angry at something?”
The kiss between him and Jason played over in her mind.
“You can talk to me,” he said. “You can trust me.”
Her eyes met his in the mirror. How could he ask her to trust him when he wasn’t reciprocating the feeling?
“Jason told me about the Committee of Vigilance coin,” she finally said, deciding to go with a safer topic instead of the one burning in her heart. Truth of the matter was she didn’t know quite what to say about what she had witnessed.
“You could have made my life a lot easier if you’d just answered all my questions.”
“Jason and I made a promise to protect someone.”
“I’m her family!”
“Politics are always a slippery situation, Avilon.”
“I don’t care about your politics, Eli. I only care about my sister.”
He frowned. “And she’s the only one you care about?”
“What else do I have?”
His lips thinned in displeasure. What she would have given to have access to his thoughts.
“Are Jason and I invisible?”
“You have each other,” she snapped. “And the club. What else do you need?”
He stood. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner about the situation your sister was in, but I was doing my best to protect her and you. I understand your frustration, but I don’t know where this vehemence is coming from. I refuse to allow you to sleep anywhere but with us. Now, be nice, and make your rounds on the floor, and Jason and I will escort you to our bed later.”
Without another word, and without allowing her to say anything further, he slammed out of the room. Tears sprung into her eyes, and she impatiently wiped them away.
Chapter Fifteen
Their lovemaking that night became a statement to the standoff she found herself in with Eli. She felt his anger at her as well as his frustration at her own antagonism. His pale eyes shimmered with exasperation, and that played into the way he manipulated her body.
She saw Jason’s confusion, having no idea of her and Eli’s fight. But he bowed toward Eli’s moves, much to Avilon’s annoyance.
Eli undressed her with cool detachment, but he didn’t touch his own clothes. She wanted to hide herself from his burning gaze, but pride stilled her hands. His fingers trailed lightly over her skin, bringing forth chill bumps and sending her nerves scattering in excitement. She may have been angry with him, but her body didn’t seem to care about their fight or the fact that he had lied to her. His true lover stood behind her, a warm presence waiting for his turn, and it hurt. It hurt knowing she was falling for two men who maybe couldn’t reciprocate her feelings.
But all those words were trapped inside, and she didn’t have the courage to say them out loud. Instead, she watched Eli’s temper transform into passion, just as she didn’t say a word when he spun her around and bent her over the bed.
“You made me mad, Avilon,” he whispered, taking her hands behind her back and holding them in one his. “Sometimes a little punishment is needed.”
Then he smacked her on her behind, and she yelped in surprise. It didn’t really hurt, at least not exactly. It surprised her more than anything because she hadn’t expected it. When he did it again, his fingers managed to brush against her slit, and need suddenly rushed through her. The third slap fell directly on her aching femininity, and she felt her juices start to run. She thrust her ass backward, waiting, but he pulled her up, bringing her flush along his chest so he could whisper into her ear.
“I want you to suck my cock, Avilon, down on your hands and knees, while Jason fucks your sweet pussy.”
How could something that sounded so…debased make her quiver in anticipation? Jason came in front of her, naked, and took her arms to kiss her. Gently, softly, his lips moved as his tongue danced with hers. Dimly she heard the shuffle of clothes falling to the ground and realized Eli must be undressing. Jason broke the kiss and turned her around, guiding her to her knees. Eli’s cock waited for her. Not quite sure what to do, she let instinct take over and grasped the hard length, massaging gently before licking the tip. Eli moaned and pushed his hips forward, clearly wanting more. The head started leaking fluid, and she lapped it up eagerly, filling her mouth with his essence. Soon, he was pumping into her mouth with shallow thrusts.
Several minutes went by, and Avilon quickly wanted more. As if he read her mind, Jason rearranged her, bending her over more as he brought her ass up. His fingers slipped inside her slick passage, mimicking Eli’s movements, in and out. When she moaned around Eli’s cock, Jason pulled his fingers out and immediately filled her pussy with one clean plunge.
They worked her together, Jason filling one end with Eli on the other. It was wild, almost savage. It satisfied a primal need deep inside, and before she knew what was happening, her body was sent into spasms, splintering apart.
“God, you’re squeezing me so tight,” Jason gasped. “Oh, Avilon. Yes, baby, that’s it.”
He sped up, pushing faster into her until he let out a moan and she felt his warmth deep inside. In the next instant, Eli grabbed her face and erupted in her mouth, some of his seed spilling from between her lips.
They pulled her onto the bed and curled around her. She lay in the dark, her heart cracking, because in the dim light, she saw Eli’s hand caress Jason’s wrist.
* * * *
Though her destination lay only two streets over, the streets went downward, forcing her to be careful of her footing. One misstep and she’d be tumbling head over heels. The sun shone high in the sky as she finally found Madame Duplee’s establishment, a sturdy-looking two-story house set between two saloons. During the day, it had an innocent quality to it, but she could only imagine what it must be like at night, when all manner of wolves came out.
She made her way down the dank, smelly alley t
o the back door of the building, where she rapped sharply against the thick wooden door. A second later, a woman opened it, dressed in white aprons. She looked Avilon up and down.
“We don’t need no blessings in this house,” said the woman, and she tried to close the door.
Avilon stuck her foot out, halting its closing. She had deliberately worn her cloister clothing, the stiff cotton and gabardine covering her from the top of her neck to brush along the dirty streets. With the added concealment of her black cloak, the monochromatic color scheme of her clothes gave her the added protection of appearing to be from the church.
“I’m not here to preach,” she assured the cook. “I’m here only to see Doll.”
“Doll ain’t gonna wanna hear your preachin’ neither.” She tried forcing the door closed again, but this time Avilon pushed her way through. The kitchen already boiled with heat as the cooks prepared the afternoon meal.
“Please tell Doll that Louisie’s sister would like a word.”
The cook eyed her up and down before turning to walk up the servants’ stairs, grumbling under her breath. Long minutes passed. Sweat trickled down her back. Except for a few furtive glances, the other kitchen staff ignored her.
Grumbling was heard as the first footfalls hit the top steps. Avilon squared her shoulders as she faced the staircase, waiting. Doll appeared in a sheer wrapper tied over a skimpy nightgown. She paused at the bottom step and looked Avilon over from head to toe before giving a sniff and proceeding to the table pushed against the farthest wall. She sat down with a sigh and rubbed a hand over her face.
“Coffee,” she ordered in a loud, gruff voice. She shot a glance to Avilon, who hadn’t moved. “Well, come on over here. You woke me up, might as well get this over with so I can grab a few more winks before working time.”
Avilon walked over to the table and sat opposite Doll. A wave of sympathy welled up inside her, though she fought to hide it. She sensed that the other woman would neither appreciate nor want any type of pity. Though she was probably around Avilon’s age, Doll had a hardness about her that had aged her, as only years from whoring could do to a person. Her blue eyes were flat, almost lifeless, in a face a little too pale and bloated from a life lived by night and full of drink.
The Song Bird (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 10