CHOKE: A Dark Bad Boy Romance

by Ella Wolfe

  I’d gathered quite a bit from what he hadn’t said, though. Knowing Knox, the fact that he hadn’t called the police on the robbers meant that he either knew who could be responsible, or that he wanted to go after them himself. That didn’t seem too far-fetched for Knox’s train of thought. Of course, he would want to go after the guys that had knocked him out and left him alone and bleeding at G-stringer’s. I didn’t blame him at all.

  “You’re going after them, aren’t you?”

  Knox didn’t reply, and I took that as confirmation.

  “You can’t do that alone. You’re going to need some help. Don’t deny it. I can help you find them.”

  “No. You need to stay out of this.”

  “Fuck that,” I disagreed. “I’m already involved. Please, let me help you.”

  “I can’t let you do that. I don’t know what kind of trouble I could get into, and I’m not dragging you into that.”

  I slumped back into my pillow and closed my eyes.

  “So, you’re just going to stay with Cassetti, then?” I was over the fact that he didn’t stand up for me the other day. I knew why now. But I wouldn’t get over him working with Cassetti every day, even if that was the best way he could get information.

  If I was smarter, more logical, and less emotional, then perhaps I would’ve done as he did and stayed close to Cassetti, hoping to stumble across something incriminating. That was the smarter move, especially since Cassetti was a much better boss than enemy. I even knew that if I went over there now and apologized for my behavior, then I could get my job back. It would come with a complete loss of trust, pay, and status, but I could get on his metaphorical good side again.

  Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t like Knox. I couldn’t keep my emotions in check like he could. I could never go crawling back to Cassetti like that and lie through my teeth. As impressive as it was, I would never be Knox, and I had to accept that he knew what he was doing to help both himself and me.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Knox

  So, you’re just going to stay with Cassetti then?

  Skye’s words rang in my ears long after I’d left her place. She was completely right, but it was a hard pill to swallow. Was I really just going to stay with him and hope that I’d figure everything out eventually? It was the only plan I had at the moment, but that didn’t mean it was a good one. Returning to work day after day and trying not to smash Cassetti’s head against a wall took serious effort.

  I’d told Skye that she couldn’t help me, and I stood by that. After all, Cassetti still thought I was his lapdog and trusted me, at least to an extent. It was difficult to say whether he truly did trust me, or just kept me close until he could get rid of me.

  The club was a different place without Skye, and I wasn’t the only one that noticed. Some of the regulars had complained about it, and a few of the girls had too. Worst of all was Skye’s group of girls, who were acting like I was the devil. I supposed escorting her out of the place earned me no favors.

  “Knox, if that asshole from yesterday tries to come in again, make sure you deal with him,” Cassetti called as he walked by.

  “Sure thing, boss,” I said tonelessly.

  For some reason, he took this as an invitation to lean against the wall beside me, raking his eyes over the place.

  “Quiet tonight, don’t you think?” he said conversationally.

  “Not too bad.” I was already on edge working for him, but usually I didn’t have to deal much with him. That brought me back to my earlier problem with the plan. How was I going to find anything out about Cassetti, if I didn’t start doing a little digging?

  “You know, Skye may have been a lying bitch, but she was a good dancer.”

  I tensed a fraction, but tried not to let it show. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought he was just trying to rile me up. As it was, I knew he said that kind of shit all the time, especially about Skye. I didn’t know exactly why he hated her at times and wanted to fuck her at others. Things like that made me wonder if the man was completely stable. His maniacal laugh and impulsive decisions sure didn’t help him out.

  “She was,” I agreed.

  “Not as good as she was in bed. Fuck, she was a complete animal in the sheets, I tell you.”

  Well, that was a big load of bullshit. No way would Skye ever go near that bag of filth. She’d told me numerous times how she and all the girls hated him, and that was before he had robbed her blind. No, there was not a chance in hell that they’d ever done the deed.

  Jesus, I couldn’t even think about it without a chance of my breakfast surfacing.

  “Oh, yeah?” I finally replied, just to say something. The only other option was to say, ‘I know you’re lying, you piece of shit,’ and that probably wouldn’t go down well.

  “Yeah, man. Begged for it every time, and really loved me telling her what to do, too.”

  Calm down, he’s just messing with you.

  Was there a chance that I was wrong, and they had slept together? Maybe that was why Skye was so insistent that he was harmless when I tried to warn her about him. And it might explain why Cassetti lusted after her, but hated her at the same time.

  Fuck, why did I even care? I’d slept with more girls than I could count. Maybe it was the fact that it was Cassetti that really got me. Yeah, that was probably it. Why she would stoop so low would remain a mystery.

  It had gone a beat loo long without me replying, but what could I really say to that anyway?

  “Still, that slut wasn’t worth all her trouble. Did you hear what she accused me of? Who does she think she is? As if I would need to steal her whoring money.”

  Don’t hit him. Don’t hit him.

  My teeth were grinding as I clenched my jaw and fisted my hands. I wouldn’t attack him here, but I would sure fantasize about it.

  “If she were here right now I’d be sure to teach her a lesson. Tie her down, and maybe invite some buddies. She’d love it. Maybe I’d let her come back and work here if she asked nicely.”

  I was going to kill him. There was nothing else for it.

  “You had your own little fun with her, didn’t you?” he asked suddenly.

  “What do you mean?” I said. I hoped to God that he wasn’t about to turn it around.

  “I saw the way she was coming on to you. Probably fucked her a few times, too. I get it; the slut gets around. She was good though, right?”

  “Right.”

  “Did you know what she was planning to do? Her crazy ass idea of opening her own joint?”

  “We never really talked much, if you get me,” I said, suppressing my disgust when he cackled like a lunatic and clapped his hands together.

  “I get you, Knox. I wish I knew where she was now, though. Maybe I could pay her a visit and get some things sorted out. You wouldn’t know where I could find her, would you?”

  “Afraid not,” I said firmly.

  If Cassetti was fishing for information so sloppily, it was a wonder he knew anything about anyone. In fact, more and more of his behavior seemed to cement in my mind that there was another, higher power doling out the orders, and that Cassetti was a pawn in their plans.

  “She’ll come by, eventually,” he said. “She’s too hotheaded to leave it alone. Probably thinks I’ll admit to something I didn’t even do. I’ll be ready though, and show her who’s boss. I have a buddy who loves them when they’re not moving.”

  His laugh was going to be the death of me. Scratch that, it was going to be the death of him, if he didn’t shut his trap soon.

  “Anyway, I gotta get going. If you see Skye, tell her that I’d like to see her and catch up like we used to.”

  He slapped me once on the arm, as I forced a half smirk to my lips. The man was going to die after all this nonsense was sorted out. There was no way he would get to keep breathing after the shit he’d said, and that was a promise.

  What I really needed to do know was warn Skye about what he’d said. Ca
ssetti was right about one thing, and that was the fact that Skye was hotheaded and quick to charge into things she had no business getting involved in. She was a smart girl, no doubt about it, but combining her temper and her bad luck was a sure-fire way to get herself into deeper trouble than she could ever dig her way out of.

  “Hey, asshole!”

  I held in my deep sigh of irritation as Diamond waltzed over to me, one hair flip away from blinding the clientele.

  “We never really talked much’?” she accused me angrily. “What the fuck, Knox? You sure are a piece of work, screwing over Skye and teaming up with the whack job while you’re at it!”

  “How’d you–”

  “There are eyes and ears everywhere here. You should remember that. Now, Skye may not be working here anymore, but she will never stop being our girl. I don’t know what game you’re playing at, but you better not let Skye get fucked over any worse than she already is.”

  “You don’t know the whole story,” I began, holding up a hand in placation.

  “I know there’s more going on. I’m not stupid,” she interrupted. Diamond was practically spitting fire, this one. “I had a feeling about you from the start, and I hope to God that I wasn’t wrong. Protect my girl, all right?”

  Her eyes were burning holes into me, and I could do nothing but nod in agreement. After all, she was just trying to protect her friend, and she was right. Skye was getting fucked over, and I wanted to protect her. No, I needed to protect her.

  Skye, Cassetti, the mobster, and I were all connected in some way, and I hard to sort it out, and soon, before anything else happened that would affect Skye and me.

  Work that night seemed to drag on. The entire time, I had to keep a close watch on Cassetti, while still doing my job. At the end of the night, however, I still came up empty. What did I expect, though? To just overhear a conversation implicating him in something that would give me enough evidence to do something about it? It was a ridiculous thought, but as sloppy as Cassetti was, it was still likely to happen.

  Finally, the shift ended, and I was able to leave. My destination was definitely going to be Skye’s house, but I had to plan out what I was going to say to her. The last time I tried to warn her about something, she didn’t believe me and went out of her way to prove me wrong.

  Not this time.

  I’d make sure she would listen to me. I had no other choice. If Skye got hurt, then it would all be on me, no matter what she thought.

  It would be because I wasn’t smart enough, or quick enough, or resourceful enough to solve the mysterious situation and get her out of harm’s way. Skye could bitch and moan all she wanted about how she could take care of herself, but there was no way I would risk it with someone as unstable as Cassetti. One moment he was as sane as I was, and the next minute he was a raving psychopath.

  No, I had to keep Skye safe and away. If it was anyone else, I might make an effort to tell them only a little, so that I could protect them. With Skye, I had to tell her enough so she wouldn’t go fighting battles that she had no place fighting.

  Driving to her place, I was strangely paranoid, checking the rear-view mirror every second to make sure I wasn’t being followed and taking a few detours, as well. I wouldn’t put it past Cassetti to have me followed, especially since he seemed so curious about Skye’s whereabouts earlier. If he didn’t already know where Skye lived, then there was no chance that I would lead him straight to her.

  When I arrived at her house at last, it was ridiculously late, or early. Unlike last time, all the lights were off and there was complete silence except for the sound of my engine as I pulled into her driveway.

  I didn’t know what to expect when she opened the door. I could get happy Skye, tired Skye, angry Skye or horny Skye. Maybe even a combination. All I knew was that I had to get her to understand the danger she could be in. She couldn’t pretend this was just Cassetti being a petty asshole. No, there were bigger powers at play, and she had to watch out before she got dragged in further. If scaring her was what it took, then I would do it with no hesitation, just to keep her impulsive tendencies in check.

  The door swung open and standing there was Skye Just Skye. It was at that point that a strange thought occurred to me; she could be feeling any range of emotions, and she would still be just Skye.

  “Knox?” she said groggily. “Missed me already?”

  I ignored her teasing, and she must have noticed the stern look on my face, because her smile lessened considerably.

  “What’s wrong? Did you find something out?”

  Skye turned and motioned for me to come in, leading me to her couch.

  “I’ve been talking to Cassetti. You need to keep your head down Skye. I mean it.”

  “Why, what’s he said?”

  “Just tried to get me to talk about you, and said a few threatening things.” I wasn’t about to bring up everything that he’d said, especially if it meant that she might confirm that she had gotten together with Cassetti once. I didn’t care how long ago it was. I never wanted to know if it was true.

  “Oh, is that all?” Skye’s entire demeanor changed to one of disinterest. Hadn’t she learned from before that it wasn’t a good idea to underestimate him?

  “No, that isn’t all! Cassetti isn’t a petty criminal. He’s up to something, and you're in danger. You need to lay low and put your plans for your own club on hold.”

  “What?” she shouted. “What gives you the right to say that? I need to get back my money and–”

  “Stop! Listen!” I strode forward and grabbed her by the shoulders, almost shaking her. She had to listen, and she had to understand. My eyes bore into hers, and I could sense her anxiety increase, along with mine.

  “I’m not talking about money here. I’m talking about your life. You can’t do what you did the other day and go barging into a poorly thought-out plan. You have to be calm, and wait for me to sort things out.”

  As much as it threw me, I was worried about her safety, and I wouldn’t risk something happening to her, when it could be avoided if she wasn’t so reckless. She was too important to me, now, for me to ever let that happen, and I wanted her—no, I needed her to stay safe.

  The intensity of my speech might have been what caused her to stop wriggling and think through what I was saying. A moment passed, one that felt infinitely longer than what it was, and she finally answered.

  “Okay.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Skye

  “Okay,” I said, a shiver going down my spine at his forcefulness.

  I wouldn’t lie and say that I wasn’t the slightest bit afraid at his intensity, because I was. The way his eyes were burning into mine, like they had hold of them and wouldn’t let go, was disconcerting, to say the least. How could I say no to him when he was like that?

  As quickly as any fear came into my body, it quickly fled when his gaze changed into a different kind of passion. He tilted his head down and kissed me, an entire conversation occurring between our parted lips as we struggled to find the right way to express what we were thinking. When he pulled back, for the first time that night, I managed to relax.

  Knox turning up at my door wasn’t that much of a surprise. I had almost expected him to come over again, though I would’ve preferred if it weren’t in the middle of the night. His heavy stare when I opened the door had me on edge immediately. I just knew Cassetti must have said something to him, because he was worked up as hell, charging into my home like a caged bull.

  I’d agreed to keep my head down, but that was more for his reassurance than anything. I wasn’t completely certain what I was going to do, but I knew that Knox wouldn’t be able to talk me out of anything. It didn’t really matter how much I’d grown to care for him. I needed to get my life back in order, and he couldn’t interfere with that. Besides, I knew he didn’t tell me everything he knew anyway, so I didn’t have to tell him everything either.

  “What did he say to you?” I asked finally,
hoping he’d at least come clean about why he was so agitated.

  “I already told you,” he grunted, letting go of me and taking a few steps backward. “He told me to tell you he wanted to see you.”

  “That’s not everything, though.” Knox wasn’t meeting my eyes completely, and I could tell there was pent up frustration rolling off of him in waves.

  “He was very… colorful with his thoughts on you and when you two used to… sleep together.”

  My lips twitched, and I couldn’t quite hide the small snicker than came out and the subsequent giggle.

  “You think I’d ever have sex with him? What do you take me for?”