Chapter 49: Chapter 49

Chapter 49

ASH

I stare at my most-trusted men.

Now, five of them.

They're standing and watching me warily, probably wondering why I had them assembled here on such short notice. I practically pulled them out from important tasks they were working on.

I don't regret it.

Around the wariness on their faces are hints of excitement brimming at the edges. I know they'll give their lives for me in a heart beat but that's not why they're working for me. These men live for the excitement, they live on the edge of danger. They live for the danger of the chase, because that's what my business is all about. Chasing people who present a threat to me, and by extension, to them as well.

"Something the matter, Ash?" Night eyes, asks.

Hazel eyes chooses to walk in at that moment, and her mouth immediately rounds into an o. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were having a meeting, I'll just-"

"Please, come inside, you are part of the reason I called this meeting." I say, waving her in.

She walks in, wearing short shorts which are a solid distraction, and stands beside me stiffly. I don't need to say anything, instead, I show them. I lean forward and click on the recording, forwarding it to the last part when Igor spoke to Domenico, the mystery person.

I feel Hazel eyes tensing up beside me and I know she's upset at what she's hearing.

Once the recording finishes its playback, the stance of my men shift visibly and their bodies brim with barely repressed energy. "Just give your orders, thats all you need do." Rip says, making a fist and hitting it into the palm of his other one.

"We need to think analytically about this." Koldis says, eyes narrowing, as if deep in thought.

"So, Igor is working with someone to get you off the scene." Lobos says, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"I agree, but that only means we need to bump him off first." Night eyes interjects, a dark look entering his eyes.

"We need to find out who this Domenico is." Moro adds, cocking his head thoughtfully.

I nod, watching them all. "We need to find out who that person is, yes, but first things first." I turn to hazel eyes. "You've all probably been seeing her coming and going." I take her hand in mine. "Well, it's time you met her officially. Her name is Alicia, and she's my woman."

I introduce all my men to her and she smiles demurely, all the while echoing its nice to meet you.

I turn to her fully now, still holding her hand. "From henceforth, you're going to be staying here . . . with me, I can't put you at the risk of someone getting to you because of me." I shake my head. "I won't allow you getting caught up in someone's twisted personal vendetta."

Her forehead creases and she cocks her head. "Don't you think that's too drastic a step? What about Tanya? What happens when she comes back?"

"She's going to be back soon, and when she does, she'll be staying here with us as well." I can see she doesn't like the idea but she doesn't say more on the matter so I turn back to my men who are watching us curiously. "For now, I'll be putting up a roaster of who gets to look after Alicia and Tanya. But make no mistakes about this, you all are charged with looking after two of them, especially when your other duties are over. Night eyes and Moro, you both go pack all her stuff and bring them over."

"On it!" They both chorus before walking off.

I exchange a few more words with the rest of them before they eventually file out, leaving Hazel eyes and I alone. When I turn to look at her, her eyes are blank and unblinking, like she's deep in thought. I need to get her out of that mood, so I gently take her hand and she jumps slightly.

What's got her so edgy?

"A penny for your thoughts, my lady?"

She shakes her head and hides her expression from me. "I'm scared, Ash. Tanya is supposed to be coming back this week, and I don't want her going to our apartment alone."

Guilt spears my insides. I haven't told Hazel eyes everything yet. If she finds out I put her sister in the lion's den, she probably won't want to ever talk to me again. "Listen to me." I turn her fully to face me. "I'll do anything to protect both of you, so count on it."

She nods jerkily and stands. Just then, something falls from her laps to the floor and I watch as her whole body stiffens. Then, she scrambles on all fours to pick it up, affording me the view of her delectable round bum. My cock jerks on seeing this. It's anticipating being sheathed inside her, and rightly so.

She concentrates on picking up whatever it is from the floor and pockets it quickly. I'm too blindsided by the view of her butt in the air to ask her what it is as I slowly unzip my pants. "Stay that way, kitten." She tries to look back but I shake my head. "Naah, don't bother, 'cause this angle is just right to fuck you silly."

I hear her soft exhale as I bring my cock out and move close to her. I slip her shorts down her legs and reach for her clit. Fuck! She's already dripping. Wasting no time, I line up against her entrance and bury my cock inside her wet folds. I reach forward and slide my hands in between her legs, rubbing her swollen nub as I delve deeper. She bucks beneath me, releasing a long drawn-out moan. I like that her body's so responsive to my touch.

I pin her to the ground as I pound inside her, but notice after a few minutes, her legs have begun to shake, so I lift up one leg and place it on my shoulder. This angle is just right as I'm hitting her depths. My hand instinctively goes to her neck and coils around it lightly. The moment she tenses, it goes straight to my cock, which jerks inside her, so I apply more pressure.

Ill wait for you to make your move.

My vision speckles as I recall the words Igor said to his mystery friend. Rage slices through me and I pound harder inside Hazel eyes as my hands curl even tighter around her neck. I've got to do something about the fucker before shit starts to hit the fan.

Beneath me, hazel eyes begins to trash and I open my eyes to see her gasping for air. I immediately let go of her neck, her gasps for air doing it for me as I pound her like never before and cum harder than I've ever done in my entire life.

As if from far away, I see her crumpling to the floor beneath me. My mind is trying valiantly to keep up with the present but it's futile.

I'm already in the future, planning what to do.

In a voice I don't recognize as mine, I address her. "Go clean up, Kitten, I've got some work to do."

*

"That's all there is?" Maybelline takes a sip from the glass of water in front of her and pierces me with her blue gaze, like she's mentally trying to make me confess what I did.

Not going to happen.

"What more were you expecting?" It's my turn to look at her asseasingly as I cock my head. What I see is a stressed woman that's been working round the clock trying to catch bad guys.

"Some more information about his nefarious activities, obviously. Igor's reputation is far from squeaky clean and I already told you he-"

"I know, Bell." I pause with my fork half way to my mouth as I quirk a brow. "I know what you told me, but there you have it. The man probably wasn't in the mood to spill his dirty little secrets to his harlots, he obviously just wanted to get laid."

Maybelline just finished playing back the recording from the device I placed on Igor, with the exception of the part where he got a phone call. I made sure to delete that part because I don't want the DEA interfering. The conversation he had with this Domenico person was about me, and I'm damn well going to make sure I get to the bottom of it.

Needless to say - Igor has just got to go.

I notice Maybelline looking at me suspiciously. Having been trained as a blood hound to catch suspicions easily, I put on my best poker face and ask in a soft voice, something to throw her off track. "What happened when I left?"

From the way her head jerks back, it's obvious my question took her by surprise. What's also obvious to me is she doesn't seem happy to answer it. What actually gets to me is the strong reaction she continues to have. Her whole body goes slack, and her mouth turns down at the corners before she drops her gaze to the untouched plate of food in front of her.

"When you left. . ." She shakes her head as if trying to clear it of memories. "You took everything with you." She lifts her head and spears me with an accusatory glare. "There was just no meaning to life anymore. Did you know I almost committed suicide when you left?"

I almost choke on the piece of chicken I'm swallowing but manage to get it down with a sip of water before looking at her with consternation. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I loved you, you dimwit, and if I'm still being honest with myself. . . " She picks up the fork on her plate and twirls a salad around it, releasing a sigh in the process. "I still do."

No way! Not about to go down that road, not now that another woman has my heart, so I say something - anything - to stop her love tirade. "What about my father? I can imagine he was devastated."

I purposely made sure to change the subject. I already know the only reason father got upset I left was because I didn't become a made man that day. I also ruined the chance of getting married to Rita and being in line to become the next Don.

Maybelline gives me a look like I've gone round the bend. "You didn't know?" She carefully places the fork back onto her plate, wipes her lips, before she sets the force of all her attention on me. "Your father died a few years later from grief, and when he did, your mother came back to claim his property."

I sit up straighter. Mother came back?

She left when I was only nine years old, and even though dad told me she ran away with another man, I never believed him.

"Yes, Batista." Maybelline continues. "She also brought someone else with her." Her gaze falls away from me and back to her untouched plate of food. "A young man." She squeezes her brows together as she falls deep in thought. "I think his name was Do - something."

"And who was this young man supposed to be?" I shouldn't feel this piercing of jealousy threatening to drown me. I mean, I've got my own money, but damn it, I should have been beside mother, not some other man.

"Yes, I remember now." Maybelline's eyes flash with triumph. "His name is Domenico. I know, because it was all people talked about for awhile."

"Hello, Dominico, how are you, my friend?"

Same name Igor said to the mystery man on the phone.

"Are you fucking with me?" I turn frosty eyes on her.

"No!" She says immediately, and leans dangerously close. "But I'd like it if you were fucking me."

I scoff and look away. She's delusional if she thinks I'm going to go down that route. Could it be a coincidence, or the two Domenico's are actually the same person?

That's a code I have to crack. . . and soon.