Dazzled and Dazed

by Harley McRide

  “They scare me,” I whispered.

  “You can’t think they would hurt you, Brit.” Angelique’s eyebrows creased.

  “Not intentionally.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “You know. I’m scared of what will happen if it doesn’t work out. I’m scared of what will happen if it does. I don’t want my heart broken nor do I want to lose myself.”

  “No one ever wants their heart broken, Brit. But how would you lose yourself?”

  “Because I am my mother’s daughter. I watched her dote and fawn over my father. When I was young, he did the same with her. Then by the time I was a teenager, it was only one-sided—my mothers. It hadn’t taken me long to figure out my dad had turned his attention to his assistant. A woman almost half my mother’s age. It broke my mother’s heart at first, but then, she found a new hobby—her tennis instructor, the pool man, the gardener, and her newest—the husband of her best friend. Once they started divorce proceedings, things got really dicey, then they couldn’t even do that right. So they stayed together, which then made life even more suckier. I just don’t want to end up like them.”

  “So, you are going to let their failings keep you from taking a chance on love because life should be easy? Seriously, Brit?”

  “What if I lose myself with them? What if I love them so much that I would do anything to keep them just so I don’t end up as my mother?”

  “Do you love them? Is that what is scaring you?”

  “Who knows? I don’t. Hell, those two are bigger than life, and they don’t even have to touch me to turn me inside out. They can do it just by looking at me. With that alone, they have power over me.” Angelique smiled and shook her head. “What?”

  “For an intelligent woman...” Angelique chuckled. “If you would quit running,” Angelique held her hand up before I could argue. “Don’t even say you haven’t been. You’ve been avoiding them. Instead, if you would stop running, take a close look and watch those men, you might just be surprised what the rest of us see. Jet and Sean are crazy about you, but you can’t see it since your back is always toward them while you run.”

  “Look at you. You’re pretty smart yourself. Where did you get your knowledge?” I asked and grinned.

  “From reading romance novels, I guess. It sure isn’t from experience.”

  “Please, you’ve listened to and watched my crazy. You could share,” I chuckled, but when Angelique said nothing, I stopped. Then what she said hit me. “You meant, like experience with two men, not any experience at all, right?”

  “I never had time for any relationships,” Angelique said and blushed.

  “Oh, well...there is nothing wrong with being a virgin.”

  “I know. I never really had time to worry about it. I aged out of the system and Josh was still in it. I went straight to work waitressing and trying to save enough money so I could get a decent place. Then I would be able to petition the courts for us to be a family or be ready for him when he aged out, so he didn’t have to struggle like I did. While I did all that, I kept track of him. I was almost ready, it had taken me forever too, then he vanished. What little I had saved, I spent searching for him. And here I am.”

  “I’m sorry, Angelique. I thought I understood how hard you had it. But, crap, I’m not sure I could have done what you have. It shows how strong you are.”

  “Yes, you could have. You moved across the country to be with your friend, and you’re starting your own company. I think we are both strong.”

  “Thanks, I never really realized how families were supposed to act until I came here. The O’Malleys, Ms. Maddie, and the Roarks don’t question, they just accept you in, and that is that.”

  “Yeah, we are lucky. What they’ve done for Josh and me, not many people would have.”

  “You’re right about that. But now you are here. You’ve found your brother. Have a job and a place to live. Next, you can work on finding you a man...or two,” I said the last to lighten the mood, and it worked, Angelique laughed.

  “Oh no. I don’t think I could handle two men. But if I’m lucky to find one that looks at me like Sean and Jet look at you. I guarantee I won’t run. The man might want to run from me because I am grabbing hold and he won’t ever escape. But first, I need to get Josh settled and back to a hundred percent. Plus, I’m really hoping they catch the ones who hurt him. I’d love to get a piece of whoever it is, too. I know I won’t get the chance, but I dream of holding them down and cutting their balls off with a butter knife.” I fake shivered, and Angelique laughed.

  “Holy shit. Here I thought you were this nice, shy woman. You have a hidden evil streak, and I like it.”

  “I just want justice for Josh and the guilty ones to burn in hell. I don’t think I’m asking for much.”

  “No, you’re not. I worry about the men we’ve come to know being involved with that takedown. But I’ve learned since being here that is who they are—they’d do anything to clean up their hometown, even if one of theirs gets hurt in the process. Takes special men to care that much.” I bit my lip and thought of Sean and Jet. Maybe it would work, maybe it wouldn’t. And how much would I regret if I didn’t try? I rubbed the spot on my lower back. Was it possible for it to come true?

  “I don’t know about you, but I think I’m going to bed. I’m off tomorrow with it being Sunday and I told Josh I would come early and spend the day with him. He is getting bored. I’m so glad they’re be letting him out soon,” Angelique said and stood and stretched.

  “I think I will go to bed, too. Josh will unfortunately not be out in time for his first family dinner at the O’Malley’s house next Sunday, but the next one he will definitely make. And, if you want, I’ll go with you tomorrow. Maybe we can pick up a few new games at the store first to give us something to do with Josh.”

  “That would be great. I know he will appreciate other female company besides me,” Angelique laughed and grabbed the remote and shut the TV off.

  “Like he hasn’t had any female company. Not much he can do about it now though, he is a captive audience so to speak,” I said as we walked toward the stairs.

  “I know. I’ve laughed at his anguish when Olivia, Sonia, and Ms. Maddie are mothering him. It’s terrible of me to do that, but I also know his distress comes because he has never had that type of attention from any woman other than me.”

  “Hey, they’re overwhelming even when you have, which makes me love them even more. They know what they are doing and don’t apologize for it.”

  “They’re great. I want to be just like them when I’m their age,” Angelique said as she turned the light off in the living room, then turned it back on. “Shit, we almost forgot to close the window in here. I only closed the one in the kitchen earlier,” she laughed, and I groaned.

  “God, and I just about had that out of my head,” I said and waited for her to close the window and turn the light back off before we started up the stairs. “But I’m glad you remembered the window. Who knows what creepers are around.”

  “I don’t want to think about it. It’s probably more than we know,” Angelique said as we reached the top floor and each of us stopped at our bedroom doors.

  “I’m with you there. Night, sweetie. See you in the morning,” I said and walked into my room and shut the door behind me. I was going to need a good night’s sleep if I was going to deal with the two men who seemed to have their sights set on me.

  Chapter Eight

  Sean

  How the fuck Falon survived in this family for so long was beyond me, the idiot was fucking crazy. If he didn’t get us killed in the next few hours, Mondays would take on a whole new meaning.

  Saturday night had been long, as in long with Mace and Cal giving us shit, then thinking about Brit and what I wanted to do with her.

  The only good part was that while we watched football, I was playing the part and messaging all the girls. I hated to admit it, but honestly, it was nice to hear what fans said abo
ut me as a writer. It was kinda heady to know. When Mace and Cal left, Jet and I had chatted a bit more with some of my other fans, and then we crashed out on the couches.

  Sunday passed without any fanfare. Brit had gone with Angelique to the hospital and Harm was on guard for Josh. Jet followed them and made sure they got to Josh’s room. Then he headed to the gym to get in some sparring time. It was the only one of the businesses opened on Sundays now. Franco and Jameson handled the opening and closing for Fin on the weekends. Before Zoey and Brook, it would have taken a crane to pull Fin or Michael away from the gym or tat shop.

  How the mighty have fallen.

  With the house to myself Sunday afternoon, and the NFL game playing in the background, I’d used the time to work on a new novel. “Dazzled and Dazed in Atlantic City.” Wasn’t sure Brit and Jet would be happy, but I could always change the names to protect the innocent. Our story wasn’t finished yet, but I was certainly hoping it turned out to be an HEA like my book was appearing to. The sex scenes were just off the charts, and I knew it would be the same way in real life. However, I knew I spent too long writing because by the time I tried to sleep my mind wouldn’t shut the fuck down. Which meant I was up later than I should have been; hence, I was fucking worn out today.

  Then Monday rolled around. After not having even remotely enough coffee, Falon had called to say that Bogdan Elson had called and requested that Falon come to his home today. It was short notice, and we all assumed that it was so they could control the meeting by giving us a small window to prepare for it. Smart, yes, paranoid, absolutely. The ploy worked, since in such a short time, we were only able to get Mace and Jet in the van while Falon and I went in. Not that it mattered, if something went down, the others were already gearing up to take up posts. Still, it was like a lamb walking into a lion’s den. Hopefully, the others were at least getting the information we needed.

  Fin and Tony hadn’t been in the office, they had been waiting for a meeting with Trey Larue to find out about Emilo. The others were either working on tats, sparring in the rings, or dealing with other clients that Tony had. After a few calls, Cal and Bry were tasked as our backups if the need surfaced.

  “Make sure you hold the meter up as much as you can. And hey, Brit is online. I am looking at your phone, gonna see if she messages you,” Jet said in my ear just as we had rung the fancy doorbell. Falon looked at me closely, and then his eyes narrowed a little.

  “Fucker, do not even start with me,” I growled.

  Falon shook his head and whispered, “Brother, hate to tell you, everything dealing with women turns into a giant mindfuck. Are you guys stalking, what she is doing online? I gotta admit that is smart. I mean, you have the skills to stalk her, so use everything in your power to fucking get a one up. Obviously, Jet is the smarter of the two of you. So deal with it.”

  The door opened just as I reach up to slap him on the back of the head. Oh well, I would save it for when we got out of here. When we found out the address all of us were a little surprised, mostly because owning a mansion on fifth avenue wasn’t really going incognito. These assholes were right out there flaunting their fucking drug money. We already knew the cops had their hands tied when it came to these assholes, it was like someone gave them a ‘get out of jail free card.’ Frustrating, especially when they were targeting low-income kids to do their bidding.

  When we walked into the mansion, I was sure Falon was going to say something stupid. Mostly because he had no filter, but the gold and red colors that adorned the walls and fixtures was an eyesore. Hell, it looked like a whorehouse, there was no other word for the place. Falon stopped right as we entered and looked at Yuri with a raised eyebrow. I pushed him in the back before he could say anything. Like I said, the fucker was going to get us killed, I could feel it. The plan was to leave Falon with Bogdan, not sure that was a smart idea anymore. It was like Falon was itching to say something, I could feel the urge flowing off him as we took in the golden cherubs that were placed on every surface. What the fuck was wrong with these dipshits? I knew nothing about decorating, but I did know that this shit was fucking tacky.

  “Who is this?” Yuri asked, looking me up and down. Oh really? I thought. We were going to play that game. Well, I stood straighter and stared him right in the eyes. I wasn’t going to appear to be weak, not to him.

  Falon narrowed his eyes and said, “My assistant, I told Bogdan I needed to bring him. He is the one who sets up the lighting for the shoot, best in the business. If we start in the morning, then the whole shoot must remain in the same light, or I could end up with a weird fucking shadow on the canvas. Something I do not tolerate in my work.”

  Yuri stared at me, and then nodded, “This way.”

  Falon saluted the man, and then walked slowly behind Yuri, seeming to look at the windows and talking about the light, shadows, and some shit about the atmosphere surrounding him as he worked. I took notes with the camera pen and tried to concentrate on anything but Falon talking. I might have never been an assistant before, but pretty sure rolling your eyes at the boss was frowned on.

  “To the left,” Mace said in my ear. I turned a little, and Mace grunted, which I assumed meant he got what he wanted. We finally entered the main sitting room where the man in question, Bogdan Elson, was laying. Yes, laying on the Victorian couch like he was posing for a centerfold. Fully dressed in a dark blue suit, turned on his side, his upper leg was crossed over the bottom just kind of hanging over the edge. His black shoes were so shiny they were distracting. Okay...well, everything was distracting about the man. As he rose gracefully, I wanted to roll my eyes, good Lord, this meeting seemed almost scripted. Surreal.

  “Falon O’Malley, I must say, you are a hard man to get ahold of. When I called the art gallery that woman was very mysterious about you. But then, since you had a fake name, I assumed you would not be what you seemed, especially considering you used the name J. Holmes. Brilliant man, John, I loved his films. Very artistically made,” Bogdan said with a grin, and then stood and opened his arms. “Welcome!”

  Shit, seriously? A porn watching Russian? How the fuck did we find these assholes? It was like my family attracted the strangest thugs. As I watched the man move, I noticed he twitched his hips a little when he walked. Holy fuck, seriously? What the hell? I was going to use this shit in a book, no one would ever believe it, so that was good, but I may need to bleach my eyes out.

  Falon moved forward and smiled big and fake. “Thank you, Mr. Elson, it is a pleasure to be here. When Mrs. Grossman told me about your father, I just knew he had to be my first portrait. It is such an honor to be chosen. I feel an instant connection here like we are sharing the same heart.”

  I wanted to slam my head against the wall when I heard Falon speak, the Russian was obviously not attuned to sarcasm because Falon had that tone. The one that I knew meant he was being a dick. Hopefully, the Russian wouldn’t realize it, or we were dead. Well, Falon was dead. I would totally leave the dumb bastard behind and make a run for it. My mom would be upset for a while, but when I told her he died because he was an idiot, it would soften the blow.

  “My father will be so happy to see you are the one who is painting his portrait. For years that is all he has talked about, your painting. We often questioned his senility, but apparently he is of sound mind, somewhat,” Bogdan said, and Falon shrugged.

  Jesus, they were being nice and trading insults, this was so not going to end well. But then I looked closer, fuck no, the Russian wasn’t being insulting, the man literally had no filter like Falon. Holy shit, how in the fuck was this guy the leader of one of the most notorious gangs in the city? How fucking bizarre, it was like he was an idiot savant. Bogdan was Boris Elston only son, and I found I felt a little sorry for the Russian crime boss. The search we had done on the man showed numerous dealing in the U.S., and he held one of the largest territories in Russia. Still, I wasn’t an expert on the crime world, but I’d go out on a limb and say he would have been better with
a trained monkey running his U.S. holdings and businesses than Bogdan. To each his own, though.

  “Well, it is nice to hear that. It always helps when a client is not delusional, it makes for a messy sitting session,” Falon said

  The Russian nodded and said, “Well, it is also good you passed the background check we did on you. Of course, I am sure you understand it had to be done. My father, well...he is an important man here and in Russian.”

  Falon paused. “Really?” Falon finally asked, tilting his head. “I had no idea. Though, I am glad I passed your test. Although I was not aware I was being tested, which is good considering I sucked in school, and generally failed with flying colors. But at least if afforded you with the knowledge that my work is widely sought after, allowing me to be choosy with whom I sell to. Not to mention your father will own the first portrait I’ll have canvased if I choose to accept the job. You may find, Mr. Elson, that doing business with me can be very costly.”

  I was about ready to grab my stupid ass brother and punch him in the nose. Why the fuck was he antagonizing this man? Bogdan was a killer, a psycho, and Falon was playing with fire, which he generally like to do, but I wasn’t going to allow him to do it with my life, asshole.

  Bogdan smiled and held out his arms. “Of course you are, or you would be dead now, wouldn’t you? People who do not pass my test, or who disappoint me, generally have a problem waking up in the morning.”

  Falon froze, and then looked over his shoulder at me while I looked quickly around the room, making sure this wasn’t a setup. Being sarcastic was one thing, fucking issuing a death threat was another. What the fuck?

  Jet whispered in my ear, “Dude, did the nutcase just say what I think he said? I mean, what the fuck? That is messed up.”

  “Sean, just say the word and you guys are outta there,” Mace said into the earbud.

  Falon shook his head slightly and turned back to Bogdan. “Now that we are passed the death threats, maybe we can discuss what exactly you are wanting? And just so you know, I do my best work in the morning when I am breathing and not worried about dying. So, if we can dispense with the threats, it would be awesome.”