Honor

by Jay Crownover

  She was on the phone bemoaning having to spend the last couple days locked up and having to get bonded out. She had her hands full of shopping bags and was oblivious to the fact she wasn’t alone until she was almost on top of me. When she had the door shut and locked behind her, she started to make her way into the living area of the town house. I saw the moment she realized something was wrong because she went still and her mouth quit moving . . . finally.

  I smiled at her and her phone fell out of her hand as she turned to bolt for the door. I got to my feet and prowled toward her as she struggled with the lock. I even stopped to pick up her phone and disconnect the call she had been on. I slid the device into my pocket and put a hand on the door over her head as she finally got the lock twisted and tried to pull the door open.

  “I’m calling the police! You better get out of here!”

  She sounded nervous. She should.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve had my fill of you and your nonsense. I’m here to tell you exactly how things are going to go down from here on out, and you’re going to listen to me or you’re going to disappear and no one will ever find your body. Do you understand me?”

  Her eyes got so big I didn’t think they were going to stay in her face, but even with me looming over her and my very serious threat hanging in the air, she still didn’t shut her mouth.

  “You cannot break into my home and threaten me. You’re going to go to jail.”

  If I was the type to roll my eyes, I would have. I towered over her, wanting her to feel caged in and trapped.

  “I really liked that car you totaled. But more than that, if I hadn’t been alone and you’d hurt someone I cared about with all your crazy, there would be no end to the lengths I would go to make you suffer. I don’t think you understand who you’re dealing with, so let me lay this out for you in terms you have to understand.” I bent my head close to her ear and let my voice drop low and hints of my native language filter into it. “I have murdered guilty and innocent alike and never stopped to think about the difference. I am a man who has done and will do whatever it takes to stay on top and that makes me more dangerous than you can possibly imagine. I didn’t earn my place, I took it.” It was over-the-top but it was all also true. “I do not take people who threaten me or my business lightly, so you have two choices. You can disappear or I can make you disappear. It’s up to you.”

  I took a step away from her and smiled at her again. “Either option you pick, I’m taking all that money you’ve been skimming from your boss at the bank, after I let the oh-so-helpful boys in blue know about your sticky fingers.”

  She gasped and let her head thunk back against the door. “You can’t do that! I need that money. I’m getting divorced thanks to you and now I have to pay all the fines for the accident. I won’t make it. I’d be better off if you did just kill me.”

  I lifted an eyebrow at her dramatic wail. “Suffering the consequences of your own terrible decision making probably feels worse than death, but it isn’t. For once, do something smart and just go.”

  She gave me an appraising look and sniffled a little. “Would you really make me disappear?”

  I gave her a sharp nod. “I would. I know people in places where no one bothers to look. Where you ended up would feel like a death sentence and every single day you would wish you had made a different choice. You’re annoying and dangerous. I don’t want you around my city or the people in it.”

  Her bottom lip moved like she was about to cry, but I didn’t buy the show for one second. I reached for the door and my hand grazed her hip. I saw another plan hatch in her eyes but pulled the door open behind her and moved her out of my way before she could even try to come on to me.

  “You have until tomorrow to decide what to do. Don’t bother looking for the stolen money. It’s already gone.” At least it should be if Chuck had passed my message along to Stark before he left the club. Having a computer hacker around was proving to be well worth the investment.

  I shut the door behind me as she was sputtering about how there was no way she could leave without money or help. She was also calling me every nasty name in the book.

  As I headed back to Chuck’s SUV I thought he would be so proud of me. Sure, I had manipulated and threatened, maybe even used a little bit of force to make my point with the obnoxious woman, but I hadn’t actually hurt her and I gave her an out. It was up to her to take it or leave it. If she didn’t, I would do what had to be done.

  That was something a real boy would do . . . well, a real boy who had to keep control of the underground empire that powered this cesspool of a city.

  Chapter 13

  Keelyn

  Things went back to business as usual when Nassir came back from whatever mysterious errand he’d had to run. He returned looking unruffled and as polished as always. He also deflected any and all of my questions about where he’d been and what he’d been up to. He made it very clear where the lines in this fledgling togetherness were going to be drawn. He would give me all of what he had, but if he thought that any of his actions or practices would make me a person of interest to the authorities or put me in some kind of compromising situation, he wasn’t going to utter a peep about them. It annoyed me and frustrated me, but then he reminded me that if I wanted to know about all the things he had done to get to where he was now, I would have to listen to all the stories filled with horror and death from his past.

  He also told me that if something happened to him I was the one that was left in charge of the club. The club that provided so many jobs and so much income for the people of my city. I reeled a little that he said this so calmly, like I was the clear choice to take over for him. Me, not Race, not Chuck . . . but me. His partner in so much more than business. His equal in so many ways. I needed to keep my hands clean and head clear, so I agreed to stop pestering about his bad-guy stuff as long as he promised to let me know if shit was really going to hit the fan so I could grab a shovel and get ready to dig. He solemnly agreed and then dragged me out of the city and up into the Hill so he could buy a new car.

  I asked him why he didn’t just buy one from Bax. After all, the guy had the sweetest rides around in both the Point and the Hill. Nassir gave me a look out of the corner of his eye and chillingly reminded me that he had been responsible for getting Bax’s girlfriend abducted by a bunch of thugs, even if he had done so at the behest of Bax’s brother in order to set Novak up, and that he had also put Bax in the center of the fight ring with more than one dirty fighter. Bax was only as civil as he had to be and Nassir said he wouldn’t put it past him to put him in a car that either exploded if it went over fifty miles an hour or one that would fall apart as soon as he drove it off the lot so Bax could shake him down for more money. He also tilted his narrow and perfectly sculpted nose in the air and told me when it came to his ride, he wanted refinement and handling more than noise and speed. He wanted something that looked good and made an impression over something that was powerful and annoyingly American. His words, not mine, but they made me laugh under my breath.

  Sometimes I forgot he was from somewhere else. Sometimes I forgot that he had an entire history before the Point. Before me. But then he would say something like that or mutter things in a different language when he was distracted and I would remember he was exactly like the vehicles he preferred. Imported. Fast. Showstopping and extravagant. He wanted something that made an impression and I didn’t bother to tell him he could be in a minivan and achieve that. In fact, as soon as he climbed out of the Honda he had a swarm of salesmen all over him, buzzing around like well-dressed bees.

  Nassir grabbed my hand and pulled me past them. I could feel their eyes following us, trying to figure out the dynamic between the two of us. I would bet good money that even though my shoes cost a fortune and my outfit was chic and reasonably respectable for our errand, they all still thought I was one of his working girls. Everyone knew Nassir liked money and knew how he made it. While he radiated quiet domi
nance and authority, I knew that I radiated sex and all the things good girls didn’t talk about when anyone else was around. I also knew that this constantly made people underestimate me.

  He stopped in front of a low-slung Jaguar with a convertible top that was a pretty shade of dark green.

  “What do you think?” His voice was low and the question was for my ears only. I shrugged.

  “It’s pretty but with people trying to run you off the road, maybe a soft top isn’t the way to go.” I looked at the window and the windshield for a price and couldn’t find one. “How are you supposed to know how much it costs?”

  He put his hand on my hip and splayed his fingers wide. He brushed the tip of his nose around the shell of my ear and told me softly, “If you have to ask, then they assume you can’t afford it.”

  I balked at that but had to scramble as he guided me over to an Audi that looked like something out of the future. No wonder Ana was up for all Christian’s games. The car was hot and definitely a panty dropper. Nassir must have seen on my face my dislike of the weird bubble design because he just chuckled and moved on to a Mercedes that looked like something James Bond would drive. He shook his head when I told him my thoughts and told me Bond drove an Aston Martin and mentioned we could look at those too. I just rolled my eyes at him and continued to let him drag me around the showroom.

  All the cars looked the same. Sleek, sexy, and very expensive. I couldn’t believe he wasn’t concerned about the cost, but as the hour wore on I realized he was waiting on me to find something that I actually liked. I had to pull him to a stop by the lapels of his suit jacket and tell him it didn’t matter to me what he forked over his cash on. I finally shared with him my theory that he could drive a minivan and still be the most dangerously sexy man I had ever known.

  That made his dark brows furrow over his candy-colored eyes and his mouth twist into a grimace of distaste. “I’m not driving a minivan—ever—but I do want something that’s as sturdy as the Bentley, so how about we test-drive a Range Rover?”

  I had no clue what a Range Rover was, but if it got me out of the car dealership and away from all the speculative looks I could feel following us everywhere, then I was game. He crooked a finger and the swarm moved our way.

  “I want to take the Range Rover for a test drive.” He pointed to one that was a dark slate gray with a soft-looking dove-gray interior.

  One of the salesmen adjusted his tie and put on his best buy-car-from-me grin. “Sure thing. I’ll grab the keys and we’ll head out.”

  Nassir tossed his arm across my shoulders and I wrapped my arm around his waist underneath his tailored jacket. By now the shock of how hard and tight his body was under that luxury fabric should’ve worn off, but it hadn’t. The way his muscles tightened and coiled at my touch sent a shot of desire right between my legs. I leaned even more heavily into his side. The truth was I didn’t care what anyone thought about me being there. It was like it was my own special reserved spot and I had earned my right to be in it.

  “Just the keys. I don’t need you to tag along.” Nassir’s tone left no room for argument, but the sales guy missed the memo.

  “Uh . . . that vehicle costs over a hundred and fifty grand. It can’t leave the showroom unattended.” I smirked. I bet I could talk the guy down to a lower price. I was an excellent haggler.

  Nassir’s black eyebrows lifted and the corner of his mouth pulled down in a scowl that had sent many running in the other direction.

  “If you want me to buy it, then it does.” The guy looked over his shoulder at his cohorts and they were all suddenly really busy with their cell phones or other customers. He gulped and turned his attention back to us.

  “Um . . . look. I could really use the sale, but that’s against policy.” He was starting to get antsy and, I think, was quickly realizing Nassir wasn’t the average rich guy with disposable income to spread around.

  “What’s your commission if I buy it? Twenty-five percent on the front end?”

  The guy gulped and nervously nodded. “So I’ll give you your commission up front, you’ll let me take the car.”

  The guy’s eyes bugged in his face and he started to sweat. “That’s like forty K?”

  Nassir sighed. “Thanks. I can do math.” I couldn’t hold back the laugh that tripped over my lips at the dry sarcasm in his accented voice.

  “Um . . . just let me . . . yeah . . . I’ll be back.” The salesman scampered away and I looked up at Nassir under my eyelashes.

  “You just have that kind of cash on you?”

  He looked down at me and I could see the humor burning in his melted gaze. “Sure. I’m paying cash for the car.”

  “Why won’t you just let the poor guy do his job, then?”

  When he smiled down at me all his teeth were showing and all the temptation that was this particular devil was flashed at me. “Because I’m not spending that kind of money on a car without seeing how we both fit in the backseat.”

  Obviously he wasn’t talking about leg room, so I blushed but couldn’t deny that his silky and seductive words had my pulse kicking.

  The salesman came back over and said his manager agreed to take the forty grand as a deposit as long as Nassir agreed to fill out a waiver that had all his information on it, like car theft was really something Nassir wanted to add to his laundry list of criminal activity. He already had his hands full with extortion, racketeering, prostitution, money laundering, illegal gambling and fighting, and whatever else he had his fingers in that he wasn’t telling me about.

  We walked out to the front of the showroom and the still-anxious sales guy brought the fancy SUV around to the front of the building. He climbed out of the driver’s side while Nassir guided me around to the passenger side and helped me climb into the seat. Nassir’s fingers skated up my bare thigh and up under the hem of my skirt. I narrowed my eyes at him and crossed my legs, trapping his wandering hand before he could give the already overtaxed salesman something to really freak out over.

  Nassir chuckled under his breath and leaned forward to kiss me as he wiggled his hand free. He shut the door and I saw the salesman frantically gesturing as he explained something to his manager. Nassir looked bored and exasperated but I was starting to think that was his default expression when he was dealing with anyone that wasn’t me. He had a bunch of different ways of looking at me but none of them would ever be classified as bored, and that was just one more thing that made me feel more certain that I was supposed to be right next to him for as long as I could be.

  He climbed into the driver’s seat and pulled out of the lot. The leather interior was really nice and so were all the high-tech gadgets and knobs on the dash. I rubbed my fingers over the leather and looked at him out of the corner of my eye. “It’s nice. Do you like it?”

  He lifted his shoulder and let it fall as he guided the big vehicle out of the Hill and back toward the city. “It’s fine. Bigger than I’m used to, but it handles fine. The leather is the same color as your eyes.”

  I jolted a little and turned all the way in my seat to look at him. “What?”

  “The interior is the exact same color as your eyes. That gray looks like a rain cloud building in the sky.”

  I could only blink at him in surprise. It was when I least expected it that he always flashed me those parts of him that I wanted to snatch up and protect like they were a wounded bird not ready for flight yet.

  I reached out a hand and put it on his thigh and squeezed. “You can find a spot to try out that backseat anytime now.”

  He put a hand over mine and laced our fingers together. “I would’ve pulled over on the street in front of the dealership if I wasn’t worried about your aversion to having other people know what we're up to.”

  I bit my lip and unbuckled my seat belt so I could get to my knees in the seat. I put a hand on his shoulder for balance, took the hand he already had wrapped around mine, and put it between my legs, where I dragged our knuckles up my quiver
ing thigh until I hit the sweet spot. I heard him groan softly when his hands encountered nothing but warm and willing flesh. I was already damp, and when he felt that, he untangled our hands and kept exploring on his own. I had no idea how he kept the SUV straight on the road as he used his fingers to spread my folds open and slip inside my opening.

  “Nothing on underneath that short-ass skirt?” He asked the obvious question as he continued to probe and spread wetness around while purposely avoiding that special spot he knew how to manipulate like a pro.

  I was trying to stop myself from wantonly gyrating against his hand since we were still moving; while the windows might be tinted, they weren’t dark enough to hide what we were doing in the front seat.

  I gasped as he twisted his wrist and started to pump his fingers in and out of my now soaked opening.

  “I pranced around in a G-string for most of my life. Having the option to go without is nice, and now that I never know when you’re going to pounce, it seems silly to add that extra step when all I want is you, as deep as you can get, as fast as possible.”

  “Fuck.” My words must have made his search for whatever spot he was looking for easier because the next thing I knew, the Range Rover was wheeling into a parking lot in front of what looked like an abandoned grocery store on the fringe of the city and there was no more talk of my underwear or lack thereof. There were a couple cars scattered around the lot but privacy suddenly didn’t seem like such a big deal as Nassir wrenched his hand away from my needy center and pulled to a screeching stop.

  Without a word he kicked open the door on his side of the car and climbed down to the asphalt. He shrugged out of his suit jacket and tossed it on the seat next to me. With his eyes hot on my own, I hiked up the edge of my skirt and used my own fingers to take up where he had left off. I rocked back at the first brush of my own fingers over flesh he had already worked up and sensitized with his rough caress. He growled at me and rolled up the sleeves of his linen shirt and continued to watch me as my eyes dipped to half-mast and my head fell back to thump against the window.