CHOKE: A Dark Bad Boy Romance

by Ella Wolfe

  “Well, at least that’s over,” I said, attempting to smile over at Knox.

  Just as I spoke the words, I turned my head slightly and noticed a group of men that seemed to jump out of the shadows and surround Knox and I. Cassetti stood amongst them, a maniacal grin on his face. It was as if he knew we had been talking about him and had appeared to enforce his revenge. The phrase ‘speak of the devil’ came to mind, but so did the word, ‘run!’

  Shit. What had we landed ourselves in?

  One of the masked men stepped forward, and Knox immediately lunged for him, fighting off his coming attack. Their forearms connected as they fought each other, punching, dodging, and blocking the other’s blows. My first thought was that Knox couldn’t possibly take on so many men by himself, especially after the fight he had just had. Surprisingly, though, none of the other men were attacking yet. It was just the first man, and even he seemed like he wasn’t entirely committed.

  “Knox, wait. Stop!” one of the men shouted. I stifled my surprise at his words, the words that I, myself, was just about to utter. How did the man know Knox? And why was he trying to get him to stop? It could have been a trap or a trick of some sort, but I seriously doubted it, especially given the look of anger on Cassetti’s face,

  The man who was fighting stepped back quickly to lift off his mask, and Knox stopped his attack almost instantly, as if he recognized him.

  “Don? Seriously?”

  Apparently, he did recognize him, but I was still very much confused at the situation, and Knox was frozen in a mixture of shock and distress.

  “Knox, who are they?” I asked quietly, though evidently not quietly enough, since it was Cassetti who answered.

  “Oh, Skye, don’t you know?” The crazy gleam in his eyes made me want to shout out that I didn’t want to know, especially not from him. “This is Knox’s old crew. Didn’t he ever tell you how he’s a wanted man?”

  I looked at Knox, confused and unsure if I believed it. It didn’t seem like it was true, from what I knew of Knox. After all, Cassetti was crazy and probably just wanted me to turn against Knox. Little did he know that I wouldn’t be falling for any his tricks that easily. A small voice in my head started whispering that it didn’t matter, even if it was true, and I knew that voice was right. Cassetti could have turned up and said that Knox was a murderer, and I would have been hard-pressed to hate him for it. Boy, was I in trouble.

  “Knox?” I asked, deciding to ignore Cassetti and ask Knox, himself, if it was true.

  Knox didn’t meet my eyes for a moment, but when he did, it was a look of such utter dejection that I wanted to run into his arms and tell him that I would be okay. I held myself back, though, wanting to see how it would play out. Instead, I turned to look at Cassetti, a frown on my face.

  “That’s right,” Cassetti continued, seeming to enjoy the moment more as I kept my distance from Knox. “Your lover is a wanted man, a dirty criminal–”

  “What do you want, Cassetti?” Knox growled, interrupting him. I was thankful he had, because I was close to lunging for Cassetti’s throat. How dare he say those things about Knox? He still had a mock look of innocence on his face, and it made me want to scratch it off him.

  “Me? Why would you think I wanted anything at all? Consider this merely a friendly warning from a concerned citizen. I hear an arrest will be made soon.”

  An arrest? This couldn’t be going where I thought it was going. No way would Cassetti be able to do that.

  “For what?” I asked, almost expecting to hear someone say that it was a mistake, and that Knox would be fine.

  “Well when I asked Knox’s old friends if they wanted to help me out, they were all too willing. They framed him for the robbery and for stealing your money, Skye. The police will be onto him any day now.”

  Shit. My confusion quickly turned to horror, and I neared Knox quickly, placing a hand on his arm. Why was Cassetti doing this? Why did he want to ruin Knox’s life? I felt for Knox. His crew had just stabbed him in the back. And for what? A paycheck? I didn’t get it at all.

  “Why are you still here,” I turned on Cassetti. “Haven’t you done enough?” A haze of anger clouded my vision as I stared him down, and all I wanted to do was run up to him and punch him in the face, so that he had to pay for what he’d done. I was beginning to revise my earlier thoughts about not even Cassetti deserving to die.

  “Maybe, maybe not,” Cassetti replied with a laugh.

  “Just leave!” I yelled.

  I didn’t think it was my emotion that finally got them to leave, nor was it my raised voice or threats of harm. It probably had less to do with me and more to do with Knox’s lack of response. Or, perhaps, it was the knowledge that there was nothing we could really do to stop them.

  Either way, they left us behind soon enough, with some last departing words. “Don’t worry, Skye. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around. Knox on the other hand…” Cassetti’s cackle seemed to ring in the air long after he left, but I ignored it, moving to Knox and checking to see if he was all right.

  “Are you okay?” I asked softly, clutching one of his hands firmly in mine.

  Knox didn’t answer me, his face displaying his emotions like an open book. He looked betrayed, broken, and helpless, things that I would never have associated with him. This couldn’t happen. I couldn’t let him sink so low. I wouldn’t let him.

  More than that, though, I was terrified. What would I do without Knox by my side? I couldn’t do anything on my own anymore—not when I was so used to having him at my back. Knox had quickly become my rock, and I was not willing to give him up.

  If Knox was gone, I didn’t think I’d be capable of doing anything I’d dreamed of doing anymore. How could I even consider opening up a club without him at my side? I couldn’t think about doing something like that, when all I would have were the tainted memories of Knox and I.

  No, I wouldn’t let him go to prison. I wouldn’t let him leave me. There had to be something that could be done.

  “Knox, we’ll figure something out. It’s okay.”

  Knox remained silent, and I felt my stomach drop. The look on his face wasn’t a good one, and who knew what he was planning. I hoped that he wasn’t going to do something crazy and dangerous, because, at this point, I didn’t know if I could take it.

  Chapter Twenty

  Knox

  I couldn’t believe it.

  I couldn’t believe that Cassetti taken things so far, or that my old friends had teamed up with him and betrayed me like they had. I barely even recognized them anymore. They were just people that I used to know.

  I couldn’t believe any of what had happened today, and I probably wouldn’t be getting over it any time soon.

  Skye had leaned close to me, whispering reassuring words in my ear, but it wasn’t doing any good—not when my whole life seemed to be crumbling around me. Being wanted by the police was no small matter, and it wasn’t something that I could just fix overnight, not with knowing the evidence against me. There was no hope for me, no matter what Skye said.

  I wasn’t the type to wallow in my own self-pity, but I could honestly say that there was no way out of my situation. Cassetti had well and truly fucked me over, and there wasn’t a single thing I could do about it. The only thing that I could think of wouldn’t really fix the situation, but it would help me, and that was all I could really do now—prolong the inevitable. I knew, without a doubt, that Skye would be thoroughly against it, and that she would try to convince me not to do it, but she wouldn’t be able to sway me. Not this time.

  The entire drive to Sky’s house was quiet. Skye sat beside me in uncharacteristic silence, probably not wanting to push me, and for that I was grateful. I, on the other hand, had my mind preoccupied with every single possibility and course of action. When we finally arrived inside, Skye stopped me in my tracks with a hand on my arm.

  “Knox?” she questioned.

  “I know what you’re going to say, but i
t’s not happening,” I said.

  “Why not? We can stop him,” she insisted.

  “No, Skye. Not this time.” We wouldn’t be able to figure a way out of it this time. If the police caught wind of me, then I’d be going to prison for a long time, for something that I hadn’t even done. All the evidence was against me, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to talk or fight my way out of this, like I had in the past. There was only one thing I could do now.

  “What do you mean? We have to do something. You can’t just let yourself be arrested.”

  She didn’t understand what I meant, and I hated what I was about to say. There wasn’t even a small part of me that wanted to tell her what I was about to do. I could already predict her reaction clearly in my mind.

  “I need to leave town, Skye. It’s the only way.”

  Skye frowned up at me, then began nodding her head.

  “Okay. We’ll leave then. That’s okay. It’s probably the best idea, until things calm down a bit and then–”

  “No, Skye. That’s not what I meant. I need to leave town,” I said again.

  “Yes, I know, Knox. I’ll get my things ready, and we can go–”

  “Skye!” I interrupted with a shout, watching her eyes dart around in confusion. “I’m going on my own. I can’t let you come with me,” I said seriously.

  She had to understand. I had to make her understand.

  “Are you serious, Knox? How could you say that? We’re in this together. If you have to leave, then I’m coming with you.”

  “Skye, I can’t let you do that.”

  How could she not understand? I couldn’t let her go on the run with me. We weren’t vacationing somewhere, and we weren’t going to visit a new place. We would be running from the cops. How could she want to be dragged into that? It was one thing to want to stand by me, but this would be ridiculous.

  “Knox, you can’t stop me,” she pleaded. “I won’t let you go that easily.”

  Before I knew it, Skye began to stride forward toward me, wrapping her arms around my neck, and pulling my lips down to hers. I knew what she was doing. It wouldn’t work, but I wasn’t going to stop her from seducing me, if that’s what she deemed the best was to convince me. If she wanted to give me something to remember her by, then there wasn’t a single part of me that would even think about complaining.

  Instead, I deepened the kiss, intertwining my tongue with hers and biting down on her plump bottom lip. She had her hands on my collar now, moaning into my mouth. I slipped my hand up her thigh and under her skirt, cupping her ass and drawing her tighter against me. Skye and I were wrapped so tightly around each other that I was scared I was going to break her, but I didn’t let go, gripping her tighter to me.

  She didn’t even bother leading me to the bedroom, taking me over to the sofa instead, and sitting me down roughly.

  “I’m coming with you,” she said as she stepped back, pulling her shirt over her head and revealing her lace bra.

  “No, you’re not,” I replied, even as my hands lifted to cup her breasts while she straddled my lap. Our lips connected once more, moving in sync as we lost ourselves in each other. She was grinding on me, rotating her hips with almost hypnotic circular motions.

  I wanted her even closer to me, and I knew she thought the same when she slipped my own shirt above my head and pulled herself even higher on my lap.

  “I’m coming with you,” she repeated, as I unclasped her bra, letting her bare nipples rub up and down my chest as I tilted her hips to a more comfortable position. My erection was so close to her, only separated by a few layers of easily-discarded clothing. Her skirt and my pants came off next, both in a fumble of fingers and limbs, as we struggled to stay connected.

  I didn’t want to leave her for a moment, not now when I needed to connect with her one last time.

  “You’re not,” I replied again, but this time with more of a grunt as she moved in a particular way that made my hips jerk.

  I was determined for Skye not to change my mind, but, fuck, when she did things like that, I forgot why.

  Finally, Skye’s panties came off too, and, at last, there was no barrier between us.

  I gripped my cock in my own hands and helped her lower herself onto me.

  “Knox,” she panted, seating herself down completely and arching her back so that her perky tits were right in my face. I bit down hard on one nipple as she began her slow rising and falling motion.

  “You’re not going off by yourself,” Skye said, her head tipped back and her hands grasping my shoulders.

  “You can’t change my mind.”

  With every downward stroke, she clamped hard around me, almost coaxing me to orgasm.

  It didn’t take long before we reached bliss together, our sweaty bodies reaching the height of our pleasure and sharing it with each other. If it were any other time, then maybe I would feel content, peaceful, or even loved, but knowing I had to leave her had cast a darker light on things.

  “Please, don’t make this harder than it has to be,” I said. “I won’t be able to stand it if you do.”

  “This is bullshit. You’re being set up! Why can’t we fight this? Together!”

  I knew what she wanted. It was the same thing that I wanted myself, but I couldn’t get through to her that it couldn’t happen.

  There was no way I was going to weigh her down with all my baggage, drag her around from place to place while I stayed on the run, and let her become a criminal, just because I was a selfish bastard.

  No, she would have to stay behind and avoid Cassetti as long as she could. Maybe he would leave her alone, and maybe he wouldn’t. I’d make sure she was protected, nonetheless. Maybe I’d pay Milano another visit and try to strike a deal for her protection. I had a feeling I might not need to, though, if what I suspected of Milano was true. He would find his own way to protect her, regardless.

  If not, maybe she would decide to leave on her own and start over somewhere new, away from all the drama. I wouldn’t blame her for that. Who could?

  Either way, she and I had to go our separate ways.

  “You know it’s the only way,” I said, hoping she understood that I wished to God that things could be different.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Skye

  He was leaving. I felt like every time I thought about it, I would add the silent me to the end, because that’s what was really happening, wasn’t it? After everything that we had been through together, he was leaving me behind. I wasn’t selfish enough to think that it had everything, or maybe even anything, to do with me, but I still resented the fact that he couldn’t take me with him.

  I could pick up and start over in another town. In fact, I’d done it before, and I was fine. Well, I was fine until this entire mess had happened. Knox didn’t want me to come with him because of some misplaced sense of chivalry, or maybe some archaic idea that he was protecting me, or maybe just because he didn’t want to ruin my life. What he didn’t understand, though, was that I was entirely too involved in the situation, and with Knox himself, to ever be willingly left behind.

  Frankly, I was offended that he’d ask that of me. Didn’t he know me at all?

  He’d said that I should stay behind, but what would I do then? I had no job, Cassetti and his goons were after me, and Milano was thrown into the mix as well. My whole life here was a disaster.

  If anything, I’d probably have to move away, too. Starting over didn’t scare me. The thing was, I didn’t want to just move. I wanted to go with Knox, help him hunt down his old crew, and get vengeance. I wanted to clear his name and let him go back to living his life like a free man. Ever since I’d met him, he’d had some kind of weight hanging off his shoulders, and, for once, I wanted to see him free of all his burdens—really, truly free.

  I had an idea, too. I wasn’t just all talk. Knox may have thought that I hadn’t planned anything out, but I had a firm idea of how we could solve our dilemma. What I needed, though, was for him
to listen and get rid of his ridiculous notions of leaving me behind. Or leaving at all.

  The truth was, I didn’t think we even had to leave. Cassetti had said the police would be after us soon, so that meant they weren’t already. Sure, we didn’t know how long we had, but that still gave us a bit of time to execute my plan, and time was all I needed.

  If Knox was intent on hunting down his old crew and taking Cassetti out of the picture as well, there was no reason why he couldn’t do both at once. In fact, that was exactly what I was going to suggest to him.

  Knox’s crew were our only solid link to Cassetti, and the only way we might have something on him to take him down. We had to use them to our advantage.

  It was a perfect idea, and I knew it would work if Knox gave it a chance, but somehow, I was unconvinced that he would.