by Amaya Black
She sneered at me but dropped the towel.
Fuck, I thought.
How would I sleep with her next to me, naked. For one, I'd never even let a woman share my bed. Usually it was a hot fuck session in a car, or up against an alley wall. Simone would be the first woman to ever help me break my own rule.
Quickly, she dashed into the bed and pulled the sheet up to her chin.
"Stay on your side of the bed, too," she snapped and rolled onto her side.
"Fat fucking chance of that happening," I replied.
Reaching over to the nightstand, I turned the light off. A sudden urge came over me and I scooted in closer to her. She tried to shrug away from me but I wouldn't let her.
"Relax, Little Angel. You're safe," I told her.
She said nothing and finally just gave into the fact that my arms were wrapped around her. Heat radiated off of her body and I snuggled in deeper to her. She felt so damn good and I briefly wondered why I had never shared a bed with a woman like this. It felt so....
Intimate, I thought.
Chapter 10- Simone
Dark sunglasses shielded my eyes upon arrival to Tainted Ink. The welcome sign was flashing in the window and the smell of coffee hit my nose as soon as I walked in. Mallory who was already on the phone and taking appointments for the day, gave a friendly wave. I smiled and waved back after hanging up my coat. Ax and AJ came in right behind me.
"Good morning, boss," they said in cheerful unison.
I quirked an eyebrow at them. "Or was it a good night?"
Before they could say anything, Rina ousted their asses. "Oh it was most certainly a good night, up until about forty five minutes ago."
"I can't with you guys," I replied and headed over to the coffee station.
I was in desperate need of some caffeine. Ms. Porter, Lucien's housekeeper and cook, had made me a small breakfast that I'd managed to choke down. Still feeling a little queasy, I hadn't eaten much. The coffee would probably settle my stomach a little better.
"Try this." Mallory smiled, coming out of nowhere.
Reaching into the refrigerated cabinet that the coffee rested on, a green bottle got handed to me and I read the side of it.
"Key Lime Cheesecake creamer," I read out loud. "Does every damn body just know I love Key Lime?"
"Yes," everyone in the shop shouted.
Mallory smiled and I opened the creamer and poured some into my coffee. Stirring in two drops of sugar, I flinched. Trying new stuff wasn't my thing. It went down smooth and the taste wasn't overpowering.
"Order as many bottles as you can find," I told her.
"So, boss..." Rina approached with a mischievous smile.
"Yes," I said as she began to follow me to the back office and I noticed Mallory was right behind her.
They closed the door as I sat down with the coffee and fired up my computer. My routine before tattooing anyone included checking emails and surfing the internet. I was not above celebrity gossip.
"Soooo, was that really your uncle last night?"
Confusion clouded my face and then flashes of Lucien standing at the bar entered into my mind. He had come over eventually.
"Little Angel...you were supposed to return home not come to a club and party....you haven’t been well, remember?" His words had caused my core to tighten.
Lucien was the last person on Earth that I wanted to be thinking about at this moment. The man was insane.
And you vomited on him, I reminded myself.
A flush of embarrassment crept up my neck.
"He's something like that," I replied.
"Well he's for sure Zaddy material," Mallory replied.
It dawned on me why they had come back here. They wanted to gossip. Being that I'd always been a loner, it was hard to realize that this was what women sometimes did.
"So...is he like single?"
A smile crossed my lips. "He is so damn single it's probably hurting his ego."
"Damn, really....you think you could slide him my number?" Rina asked. "I like older men and he definitely has that vibe to him."
I sipped my coffee. "What vibe is that?"
She looked a little shy but it came out anyway. "That he can fuck hard look."
Mallory slapped at Rina and some of the coffee left my mouth. "Oh my God, you are so gross and you've been living with the twins too long already.”
There was no need to tell her that she was correct in her assumption. "I'll let him know you're interested."
"You really are a great boss," Rina said, flouncing out of the room.
Mallory gave me a look and shook her head as they both exited. They closed the door behind them and I started checking emails. My eyes adjusted to the screen but even that seemed to be over stimulating my eyes. White light flares seemed to send me into a dizzying tailspin. Not being able to take much more of it, I put my head down on my desk and just lay there.
Twenty minutes passed before a knock came on the door. I called for whomever to come in and found Mallory standing there with a bunch of black roses along with a frown on her face. I stood and frowned.
"Did someone die?" She asked, sitting the bouquet down on the desk.
Upon inspecting them I saw that they were so red they just appeared to be black. There was a card attached and I plucked it from the card holder. Reading the bold words: I'm still thinking of a punishment fit for a Tribute. Yours Truly, President Snow.
I chuckled just a bit and put the card into my desk. Mallory was still standing there so I asked her to take the roses to the front so that they could get some sunlight.
"So you're not going to tell me who they're from?" she asked over her shoulder.
"No," I replied following her out. "How are things looking for today?"
"Miguel's booked up and the twins are leaving early. You have three people scheduled for this afternoon and Rina is in with someone now."
"Perfect," I replied. "Sounds like a full...."
The sounds of screaming were coming from the front and I had no idea what was going on. Both Mallory and I hurried to the front to see a brunette arguing with both Ax and AJ. She did not look happy but they were both laughing in unison.
"Oh you think passing around Chlamydia is hilarious?" she asked.
"Look..."
"It's Nadia!" she screamed. "Oh my God, the two of you are trash."
I had no idea whether to step in and say something, but Mallory gave me a look as she put the flowers down on her desk. She came back over as I heard Rina coming from down the hall. The unmistakable click of the red high heels on the concrete floor.
"What in the hell is going on?" she asked us as if we had a clue.
Mallory and I both shrugged. Suddenly, Nadia's very irate and upset self unbuttoned her coat, while still screaming. "One of you is the father! Now laugh about that because when I pop this kid out someone is going to be helping me pay for it."
We all winced at her words.
Ax and AJ had turned white, the smiles falling from their faces. While I was enjoying the show, I needed this to not be happening in my place of business.
"Mallory, can you find them somewhere to discuss this," I looked over at her.
Rina was shaking her head. "Who didn't see this coming?"
The bell above the door rang, and peering around the scene happening my eyes abourt bulged out my head. That Key Lime coffee creamer must’ve had me seeing shit. There was no way in hell that my brother was standing in my shop again.
"Sis," he smiled his toothy grin.
Albie was the last person I wanted to see.
He was the last person I wanted in my shop. Before he could get any further into my space, I met him immediately.
"Whatever it is Albie, I can't help you..."
His face fell but I didn't care. Pushing him outside before my own family drama could play out in front of the other artists. The winter sun reminded me of why I'd worn sunglasses in the first place. A black town car sat idling nearby.
"Dad's inside," Albie said once we stopped.
"That's nice," I replied. "What are you doing here?"
"Mones, I 've felt like shit," he stated. "I brought the Bratva into your life. Playing around with them...I talked to dad."
A frown creased my forehead. "And?"
"He's getting the money together," Albie smiled. "You'll be free pretty soon. I hate that this shit even happened. Are you okay? That maniac hasn't hurt you has he?"
"Albie, don't fucking show up here again!" I threw up my hands. "You or our father. I'm inclined to beat the hell out you my damn self. You know how I feel about him...about the shit he put my mother through."
Albie's face turned into a scowl. "How long will you blame him?"
Albie had a point but I'd never let him know. This family was fucked up. I needed a therapist, but who didn't? I sure as hell wasn't about to have a family ranting session. Out the corner of my eye, I saw the window on the town car slide down and a hand waved itself out the window.
"He's beckoning for you," I rolled my eyes.
Albie glanced over his shoulder towards the car and turned back to me.
"Let me make it right," he shrugged.
"You can't."
"I can...I'm getting the money together," he said.
"Just to be in business with our father...Albie you should have just stayed gone. I was handling it."
"Mones...I.... Lucien is a monster and the thought of him..."
"Lucien has been kind enough," I stated, completely avoiding the part where he'd fucked me without me saying I wanted it. "It was being handled. Now you've made an even bigger mess by dealing with that man."
My eyes narrowed in the direction of the town car. From where I was standing, I could only see a whisper of a shadow, a partial outline of the man whose DNA I shared. I knew that he was watching me. The son of a bitch was too useless to get out and speak to me.
"I'll be in touch about the money," Albie smiled and began walking away.
He was just out of reach when I gave a holler, "Don't bother!"
Before getting into the car, Albie gave me a small smile. "Love you, sis."
My heart didn't want to react, but it did. Albie could fuck things up and still, I would love him. I didn't have much left in this world but him. The black town car peeled out of sight and I watched for as long as I could. Finally, unable to withstand the chilly winds of Chicago any longer, I went back inside. I needed to set up for my appointments.
Chapter 11- Lucien
The slam of the doors behind me seemed to jar me from my thoughts. I hated hospitals. I hated the way they smelled but lately, I'd been coming here a lot. It had to be done.
Checking my watch, I noticed that Gabriel was late. Not that that was unusual. We needed to have a fucking talk if he couldn't find himself being on time for anything other than a party. I had worked too hard to get myself Knighted into the Safaryan Brotherhood, too hard for him to just fuck everything up. Finally, I couldn't take it any longer and approached the desk to sign in.
"Mr. Petrovich, how good to see you again," the nurse at the sign-in station said.
I said nothing and gave a quiet head nod. Very few people knew my true last name. Ever since immigrating to America, my family had been going by the last name Peterson. It was more American...less Russian. Less of a chance that my father's enemies of old would show up and kill us in our sleep.
The white tiles underneath my feet seemed to glow. With every step that I took, I felt the weight of what it meant to be my mother's son. To have watched her deteriorate to the point that she needed private hospital care; it made me feel extremely vulnerable and useless. As I was leaving a young nurse was coming out of her room. I stopped her. The white of her uniform seemed to be blindingly white and the stethoscope around her neck looked well used. I often failed to read the nurses' name tags but today I did so.
Carson.
"How is she today?" I asked.
"Your mother is very weak, Mr. Petrovich," Carson said.
She had kind brown eyes.
"Will the doctor be speaking with us today?"
Carson peered around me and I realized that I was still alone.
"My brother will be along shortly," I said.
Carson offered another kind smile, "He will be around soon. He's making his rounds and checking on a few other patients."
"Thank you," I replied.
She nodded and headed off to tend to other patients, I supposed. My hand hovered over the metal doorknob that had been sculpted into the golden oak door. Pushing the door aside, I came in to find my mother looking much as I had left her before. The wires from the oxygen tank ran wild and surrounded her before connecting to her nose. She took small breaths, her hair had gone white and was braided to one side. The machinery seemed to tick and beep away.
"Mamushka," I whispered and dropped a kiss on her cool head.
She didn't stir, so I parted the curtains a bit to allow her more light into the room. Then I sat down and pulled out the book that I had been to her for a long while now, nearly half a year. The Hunger Games. It was strange but we never seemed to make it through the book. Some days when she was awake and lucid, we would discuss my life. Discuss why I was apart of the Bratva; she had worked so hard to keep me from that but ultimately my Uncle's Stiva's influence had won out.
I began to read from the fifth chapter of The Hunger Games, my voice filling the quietness. I was nearly towards the end of a chapter when Gabriel entered. The suit he wore was in disarray and his eyes looked bloodshot.
"About time," I spoke quietly.
He straightened himself, "I got here when I could."
"Bullshit," I hissed. "You had one thing to do today, brother. You need to get your shit together. She's dying or can't you see that?"
Our mother began to cough, and her eyes opened. "Dying, but not quite dead. I can still hear the two of you."
Gabriel smiled and went to her, placing his head nearby so that she could run her fingers through his hair. "I'm here."
I rolled my eyes and began pouring her a cup of water. When just enough was poured, I eased down beside her to get her to drink.
"Oh Andre," my mother began to speak.
My father's name rolled around in my head. She thought I was him and I wouldn't do anything to make her think differently. I didn't want to upset her.
"Yes," I replied.
"The sky is so blue today," she peered over my shoulder, before taking the cup of water. "When can I go home?"
"Soon," I replied.
Gabriel and I both watched her drink the water and then she sat back and closed her eyes. Already ready to sleep more. She had been doing this more often for the last few weeks. There was a click and the door opened. The doctor came in followed by the same nurse from earlier. She gave both Gabriel and me a reassuring smile. I watched my brother try to smooth his clothing out in an attempt to make himself look presentable. A scarlet streak began to work its way up from his spine. He looked my way for just a moment and I recognized that he was embarrassed and not because of the doctor but instead because of the very attractive nurse. She came over to check my mother's vitals along with Dr. Connors, completely ignoring Gabriel. When she was satisfied she stepped back and let the doctor speak.
"She's steady for now," he said.
"But?" Gabriel asked looking between us.
Dr. Connors gave a shake of his head. "She is declining in health. The only thing we can do is make her more comfortable. She is nearing the end."
"What fucking good did it do to bring her here, all this money we paid?" Gabriel's eyes almost seemed to go black.
I held up my hand and silenced him. "Dr. Connors, thank you. We will talk amongst ourselves now."
He nodded then both he and the nurse departed, a flash of green scrubs and white coat disappearing out of the room. Gabriel continued to look lost. Sitting back in my seat, I glanced at the cover of the book.
"How does it just
end like this?" Gabriel asked me from where he was standing.
Looking away from the book, I saw him starring at the ceiling. For a moment I wasn’t sure if he was talking to me or God. His eyes turned to me.
"This is life brother," I shrugged.
"How can you be so calm? So....frozen?"
I didn't want to tell him that I'd thought about blowing Dr. Connor's brains all across the room. That I had imagined pulling the gun from where it was tucked on my person, pulling the slide back, and letting all the bullets I owned fly into the man's skull. That I wouldn't be satisfied until the cute little nurse was screaming and terrified as her boss's blood dripped down her face.
"I'm not frozen," I replied calmly.
"Bullshit," Gabriel hissed.
"Language brother," my eyes darted to our sleeping mother.
He took in a solid breath. "I'm leaving."
I pushed out a breath of my own. "Gabriel, I don't show weakness because it has never gotten me anywhere. It’s how I got to the top. You know that Uncle Stiva taught us both that emotions are a weakness. Men like us can't afford to show emotion."
Gabriel threw up his hands. "Fuck you and Uncle Stiva. I'm gone."
And then he was.
There was nothing but me, my mother, and the sound of her machines. The yellow-tinted pages began to blur as I went back to reading out loud. By the time I looked up, night was beginning to fall. Dropping a kiss on my mother's head, I headed out into the cold. Thoughts of Simone began to dance in my head. My dick began to swell...
Chapter 12- Simone
The hairs on the back of my neck were standing up. A cold wind swept by and it seemed as if Jack Frost himself had come by and kissed my cheeks. I peered around me, trying to look through the trees to see if I could spot any signs of movement.
My leather gloved hands found their way into my pockets and my hand tightened around what I had hidden inside of my coat. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and called out.
"Fedor!" I exclaimed. "Here boy! Fedor, come here buddy."
Being kidnapped by Lucien had totally screwed up my mind. I was out here calling a wolf to me. An actual, hand on the Bible, wolf, as in an Apex predator. Sticks crackled out of my view and found myself face to face with his golden eyes.