by K. D Clark
He could see the gears turning in her head. “I’ll be trailing you so don’t think about going home,” he added.
“Are you serious? So what now, you’re like my mafia bodyguard?”
He smiled, and she grabbed the pillow behind her and hauled it at him.
“That was not a compliment,” she grumbled.
He laughed. “No, I like it. Call me it again.”
“How did you get into my apartment anyway?”
“Picked the lock and I’ve watched you type in the code for your alarm system several times. It wasn’t hard.”
She shook her head and looked down at her phone. “He hasn’t text me today.”
His body stiffened. “Does he usually?’
She nodded. “I should go to bed. I have work in the morning.” She leaned over and planted a soft kiss to his lips.
It took him by surprise, considering she’d been so annoyed with the whole situation.
“Thank you,” she said before getting off the couch and walking down the hall to the guest bedroom.
Avé
“What happened?” Aubrey asked as Avé set her purse down at her desk.
The law office was huge and it was on the 10th floor of a big black building in the middle of downtown. There were four desks lined up by the entrance where the administrative staff sat. Each one of them was assigned 2-4 lawyers that they helped with paperwork and cases. Down the carpeted hallway lead to the lawyer offices.
“I saw Liam at the Irish bar,” she said sitting down in the chair and firing up her computer.
“Yea you told me that. So what you saw him and just bolted?” Aubrey asked, her eyebrows fused together. She seemed hurt by the fact that Avé had left them when they were supposed to be having a girls night out.
She swirled in her chair to face Aubrey. “We got into…a fight. I didn’t want my sour mood to ruin your guys’ night,” she lied. It was easier than the truth. She couldn’t exactly tell Aubrey that she was being forced to stay with a Cosa Nostra underboss until they found Liam and killed him. Or that Wes had trailed her the whole way to work and was probably down in the main lobby.
Aubrey shook her head. “You should have just told us we could have gone to another bar. We didn’t plan to stay there long anyways.”
Avé nodded. “I know, I’m sorry.”
“I did meet a cute guy while we were out,” Aubrey said wiggling her eyebrows.
“Oh shit tell me about him,” she said, happy to get the attention off her.
Aubrey stood up from her desk to walk over to Avé’s. “He’s British,” she gushed.
Avé laughed. “So it was the accent?”
“Fuck yea it was the accent. He also went to Harvard and his hobby is swimming. Swimming! As in a speedo.”
The elevator dinged, and Charlotte walked through the door. “Is Aubrey telling you about that nerd she met?”
“He was not a nerd!” Aubrey said.
Charlotte set her purse and coffee down at her desk. “He had a bowl cut and wore glasses.”
Aubrey flipped Charlotte the bird, and Avé laughed.
Her day was busy as usual. The office held a good amount of lawyers and they were always working on high-profile cases which meant lots of paperwork and phone calls. It was work that most people might have found dull or boring but she had a niche for it. She’d thought about going to school for business administration or maybe to be a paralegal but there wasn’t any reason to at this point. She was at a job she liked that made her enough money to live decently in New York City. If she’d stayed home in Vegas she probably wouldn’t even have had to work. Her dad was more than willing to put her in an apartment and pay for her to go to school but she’d known she had to get out. She liked the freedom of having her own stuff although there were times when money would just appear in her bank account. Her dad just wanted to make sure she was taken care of despite how many times she told him she was doing fine.
When 5 o’clock struck, she gathered her stuff, said goodbye to her co-workers and walked out to the parking lot. She looked around but she wasn’t able to spot Wes. She got into her car and drove to Giovanni’s. It felt strange to park in the circle drive and use the key that Wes had given her this morning. She walked through the door and down the hall. Giovanni was sat on the couch rolling a blunt. He was dressed more casual than the last few times she'd seen him, in jeans and a button down shirt that he’d rolled up to his elbows.
“You know that shit will kill you,” she said before thinking. She should be afraid of Gio especially after Wes’ warning yesterday. And she was to a certain extent but Gio didn’t scare her as much as he should. She blamed it on the fact that she’d grown up around men like him. Men who needed the world to fear them in order to survive.
“Not before someone else kills me,” he said, not bothering to look up.
The sound of dishes clanking together made her turn her head towards the sink. A woman stood at the sink washing a set of pots and pans. Avé was surprised to see another person in the house. She had assumed Giovanni lived alone. The women must have felt Avé’s eyes on her because she turned around. She looked several years younger than Avé, probably in her early twenties, with dark hair and blue eyes. She was a very pretty woman. She turned the water off and wiped her hands on the apron she was wearing. She walked toward Avé and stuck out a hand.
“I’m Justine.”
Avé shook her hand. “Avé.”
“I was just finishing up prepping some meals for Mr. Marino. Is there anything specific—”
“She’s fine, Justine, you can go now,” Giovanni snapped from the couch.
Avé had to applaud the women because her smile didn’t fade at his harshness. Justine nodded at Avé and gathered up her things before walking out of the door.
“Why are you such an asshole?” she asked Gio once the young girl had left.
“Get used to it, princess. It’s my house. I do what I want.” He leaned back against the couch and brought the blunt up to his mouth. He finally turned his head to face her, his eyes challenging her to say something.
She set her purse on the kitchen table and walked down the hallway to the guest bedroom ready to take a shower and change into comfy clothes. She dug through the bags still on the floor but found that none of them contained sweatpants. With a sigh, she walked back out to the living room where Gio was relaxing on the couch with the blunt between his fingers. There wasn’t anything on the tv, it just looked like he was deep in thought.
“I need sweatpants,” she said.
He turned his head to look at her, his eyes roaming over her body.
“I’ll have someone pick them up.”
She shook her head. “I need to go home. Just to get my clothes and shit.”
He seemed to be debating it in his head. Finally, he set the blunt down in the ashtray and got up from the couch before grabbing his keys off the coffee table.
“I’ll drive,” he said and walked out of the door.
She snatched her purse back off the table and followed behind him.
“You know I can drive myself,” she complained.
He didn’t answer her just continued down the hallway. She crossed her arms over her chest. She was so tired of being treated like a child. He said nothing as he opened the front door, and they walked down the porch steps to get in his car. They rode in silence to her apartment. She didn’t ask how he knew where she lived because she doubted he would answer. She got out of the car and he followed after her.
She rolled her eyes. “I think I can handle grabbing some clothes on my own.”
He narrowed his eyes, so she knew he was getting frustrated with her but she didn’t care. She was frustrated too. This whole situation was a mess. Of course, she’d run to him for help but that didn’t mean she wanted to be followed everywhere she went. She’d been desperate and now she was starting to regret her decision. Maybe she should have just gone to the police like a normal person. She walked up the s
tairs to her apartment building. When she unlocked the door and walked inside she froze at the sight in front of her. Her living room furniture was overturned. Foam covered her beautiful hardwood floors as if someone had taken a knife to the couch. Her glass kitchen table was shattered in pieces. Giovanni grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him as he grabbed a gun from his waistband.
“Stay here,” he said as he walked into the apartment leaving her at the threshold. With his gun drawn he walked from room to room checking to make sure the place was empty. After he’d checked all the rooms he put the gun away and walked back to her.
“It's safe,” he said.
She hadn’t realized she was shaking until Gio reached over and ran a hand over her arm. His hands felt rough against her soft skin and she realized it was the only time he had touched her. Goosebumps rose to the surface of her skin.
“All my stuff,” she mumbled
He shrugged. “We’ll get you some more.”
The way he said it as if it was the most normal thing in the world to completely replace her belongings. She looked over at the wall where her alarm system was to see that it had been smashed. It looked as if a baseball bat had been taken to it. Probably the same baseball bat that had been used to shatter her kitchen table. She walked past Giovanni into her favorite room and tears filled her eyes. All her clothes had been ripped from their hangers and were on the floor. There were muddy shoe marks as if someone had stomped all over them. No not someone—Liam. She knew who had done this. She had been naive before thinking this would all pass over. But he wasn’t just going to go away anytime soon. For some reason, he was after her. Her body vibrated as a chill ran down her spine. She walked in the room, pulling out a dresser drawer relieved to find that the clothes inside were still intact. She grabbed an overnight bag and stuffed it with sweatpants and some work outfits. She then went to the bathroom and grabbed some of her favorite body soaps, razors, and shampoo and conditioner. When she was done the tears had dried up and the only thing left behind was the bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. A mix of fear and anger. She didn’t deserve this.
“You ready?” Giovanni asked, standing against the wall.
“Do you even care?” she snapped. She hated his nonchalant attitude as if this was just one more mess he had to clean up. As if she was such an inconvenience to his everyday routine. She should have never run to him, she should have gone to Wes.
His eyes flashed with anger and he walked up to her. He towered over her small body. Next to the fear, there was a small tinge of desire. His chest heaved as his dark eyes trained on her. The fresh smell of his cologne engulfed her and she had the strange urge to run her hands over his chest, sensing the tight muscles she would feel underneath. The feeling was wrong and she needed to stop it but he must have known what she was thinking because his lips twisted up in a smirk. She looked down at the carpet, avoiding his eyes as heat rushed to her cheeks. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look up at him.
“What are you thinking?” he asked, surprising her by the question.
“I’m thinking I want to go.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Go where?”
“Back to the house.”
“How about you just admit the fact that you need my help,” he said.
That familiar anger boiled again just below the surface.
“You claim you’re not a damsel in distress yet you run to someone you knew had power in the city. Someone you knew would feel obligated to help you because of your father. You need my help.”
She hated that everything he said was right. “Fuck you.”
He laughed and let go of her chin before turning and walking out of the door. And just like a damsel in distress, she followed behind him.
She spent the rest of the day in the guest bedroom. She felt like an angry teenager. At one point she heard Wes and Giovanni talking and then the front door close. It took a few minutes before there was a knock on the door of the guest bedroom.
“Come in,” she said not bothering to get up from her position lying under the covers.
Wes opened the door and closed it behind him. He was dressed similar to how Gio had been this morning. It was casual for Gio but dressed up for Wes. His hair was slightly wet causing small curly ringlets at the top of his head.
“Your turn to babysit?” she asked him.
He shook his head and sat at the end of the bed. She pulled her feet up to make room for him.
“Gio is having a meeting with the Irish tonight,” he said.
She stiffened at his words. That wasn’t a good sign and the last thing she wanted was a war to break out over her.
“This isn’t going to get crazy is it?” she asked
He shrugged. “Depends on what happens at the meeting. The Irish aren’t stupid, they know we have the upper hand in New York.”
She nodded, feeling a little bit better. She patted the spot beside her on the bed, and Wes kicked his shoes off and crawled under the cover next to her.
“You scared?” he asked
She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth and nodded. It wasn’t until she’d gone back to her apartment today that everything had seemed to settle in. Liam really wanted to kill her for no other reason than that he was crazy.
“You sure can pick ‘em,” he joked.
She slapped his shoulder and laughed. “Jerk.”
She yelped when he rolled over and grabbed her around the waist pulling her closer to him. He planted a soft kiss on her lips, and her body instantly started to heat up. She snuck her hand under his shirt getting a feel of his abs. He jumped at her cold touch, and she smiled against his lips. He pulled her bottom lip into his mouth and bit down on it slightly. The feeling went straight to her core. She rubbed her thighs together trying to get some kind of relief. Wes noticed and reached his hand inside her pajama shorts cupping her sex. She moaned at his touch. He took that as an invitation and pushed her panties to the side to insert a finger. She moved her hips trying to push her clit against his palm. He pulled away from her lips and laughed at her effort.
“Wes!” she complained before taking matters in her own hands. She hooked a leg over his and pushed herself up so she was straddling him. She could feel him bulging against his jeans. She moved her hips trying to get the friction. He grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head before throwing it on the floor. She didn’t have a bra on so her boobs flopped against her body. He sat up and took a nipple into his mouth. Her back arched as he swirled his tongue around it. Then he moved on to the next one. Taking his time as he did. She was so wet she was probably soaking through her pajama bottoms at this point. She pushed on his chest until he fell back on to the mattress. She made quick work undoing the button on his pants and pulling them down. His cock instantly sprang free. She didn’t think she’d ever get used to the size of him. She climbed back up his body until she was straddling him. She lowered herself onto him. Her body shuddered as her walls widened to make room for him. Having him inside her was like being at home. She could almost forget the threats against her and pretend it was just her and Wes. He grabbed her hips, controlling the speed as she moved up and down. Every time she went back down, she ground her hips against his groin. Her clit rubbed against his naked skin. It wasn't long before she felt the familiar tingling sensation take over her body. Her body tightened before she collapsed on top of his chest. He kept moving inside her until he found his own release. They stayed like that, her on top of his chest and still buried deep inside her, for a minute, both catching their breath until she rolled over back to the other side of the bed and turned her back to him. This was usually when he’d grab his clothes and leave. Instead, there was the sound of him taking his pants the rest of the way off before he pulled her close to him. It wasn’t long before her eyes drifted closed and she fell asleep in his arms.
Giovanni
He walked into the Irish bar with 3 of his men, Al, Rico and Eric, behind him. Usually, Wes would be one of these me
n but he needed him back at the house to keep an eye on Avé. Even though he was pretty sure she understood the danger she was in he was still concerned that she’d run. And if Liam had the balls to show up where he lived he had no doubt Wes would be able to take care of it. Wes worked under Tommy, the capo in charge of Queens, but Wes and him went way back. He often still asked Wes for help with a lot of things. The bar was empty except for the table in the back where Niall, the boss of the Irish mob, sat surrounded by a few of his men. It was out of respect that Gio had agreed to meet in their territory. He was doing it to prevent a war that he had no interest in getting involved in. Just in case, though, Giovanni still had a sniper sitting on the roof of the building across the street.
“Giovanni,” Niall greeted as he approached the table. The man’s hair was greased back, leaving his shiny forehead exposed and he had a large pot belly that took up space between himself and the table. The man waved at the seat across from.
“Have a seat,” Niall said, his accent thick.
He sat down while his men stayed standing around him.
“Would you like a drink?”
He shook his head. “I won’t be staying long.”
Niall’s eyebrow twitched and he frowned in disapproval.
“I don’t want a war in New York. We both know Cosa Nostra outnumbers you here. All I want is Liam. Give him to me and let’s put this all to rest.”
Niall shook his head and leaned forward, placing his elbows on the edge of the table. “If I knew where my son was, do you really think I’d hand him over to you on a silver platter?” Niall laughed and his men joined in.
Giovanni clenched his teeth, reminding himself that he needed to keep this meeting as peaceful as possible. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of his men put a hand on the top of his gun waiting for Gio to give the order.
“I think you would to save your own skin,” Gio said
They stopped laughing, and Niall wiped the tear from his eye. “You know what I think, Giovanni. I think a girl got under your skin and you want to go to war for her. A stupid way to make decisions for your whole organization.”