Chapter 42: Chapter 42

C H A P T E R - E I G H T E E N

I opened my eyes to the sight of morning. The lights in the warehouse were over the kitchen, and I knew they were on. Although Falcone was on the phone, I could hear him mumble.

I shifted to the bed's edge, lowered my body, and searched for my nightshirt. I located it, looked for my underwear, discovered it, and then stood up. I shimmied my underwear up in bed after pulling my nightshirt over my head, forcing my arms through. I then exited, made my way to the restroom, did my business, and then made my way back out and down the steps.

While on the phone, Falcone continued to wear his uniform of a skintight, long-sleeved shirt and cargo pants. He already had his boots on, and his hair was a little damp.

As I approached him, he was leaning one hand against the rear counter, without moving, and his eyes were fixed on me. When my body hit his, my cheek crushed against his chest, and my arms encircled him, I suddenly lost sight of him. He removed his hand from the counter and encircled me with his arm.

"Yeah, submit that to Magtanggol, and schedule a meeting with Finn," Falcone said into his phone.

I breathed deeply against his chest. He wasn't minding his own business; he was minding mine.

"Copy that," he said, "and I'll be there in twenty minutes."

He closed his phone and stuffed it into his cargos. As his other arm closed over my shoulders, I tipped my head back and stared up at him.

"Can you sleep?" he inquired, dipping his chin to gaze at me.

"Mm hmm," I said.

He dropped his chin even further and his tongue contacted mine as his arm wrapped around my back, scrunching up my nightshirt and holding it up with his arm while his palm cupped my ass, skin to underwear.

Nice.

"Did you?" I questioned back after his mouth was gone.

"Yeah," he said.

"Is there something going on?" I questioned, taking a deep breath.

His arm crushed my shoulders, as did his hand on my ass. "We have some exciting news."

"Is it good or terrible news?"

“Both.”

"Oh no," I murmured.

"I don't have much time, but do you need coffee before hearing it?"

"Does that mean you're asking me whether I need Valium before I hear it?"

I got additional squeezes as he smiled.

Then he said something. "The drive-by was for Isabelle. Certainly not Finn."

"Is that good news or negative news?" ”

"The good news is that we know exactly who we're looking for and why they did what they did." They know they've bought themselves two sets of enemies they don't want since Finn's thrown down for you and I made things obvious yesterday. Isabelle knows a lot, has irritated a lot of people, and she can cause a lot of trouble, but she isn't worth the heat my brothers and the Mayhem MC are about to bring down on them. They purchased it, pulling that trash, and they don't want it, and they don't want the heat to increase. It's only a guess, but you and your folks are probably safe."

"That's great news," I said.

"Yeah, but it doesn't mean we're not clever about it." Are you with me? ”

I wasn't sure, but I nodded nonetheless.

"How about the bad news?" I inquired.

After pausing, he said, "Jorge had a meeting with Big Ben yesterday. Finn apparently interpreted your declaration that you were done with me — and with us — as license to make his play. Finn is not the type of man to ask you for your indication, tell you he likes your smile, buy you a drink, and hope you buy him some; instead, he locks you in a room and believes that when he returns from wreaking havoc and exacting vengeance, you'll be waiting for him to do whatever he does to make his claim, as he is not feeling like backing down from war. The fact that my boys defeated his and won the competition didn't help. There is now a chance to save face. Our lieutenants arrived, but they were unable to come to an agreement. The captains must now convene."

Oh boy.

"Would you like to learn more about war in depth?"  I enquired, but I wasn't sure I needed further specifics.

Did you let him know you had had enough of me?”

I grumbled, attempting to move away a little, but his arm and hand just became tighter, so I gave up. I said, "I was in a foul mood."

"Gia, sh*t," he murmured.

"I added that I had sworn off men, planned to start trekking, and had organized a ferret rescue."

He gave me a piercing look. "Babe, let me tell you something about men," he said.

Uh-oh.

"Um..." I began, hoping not to discover anything about guys. Falcone wasn't the only individual who baffled me. Men in general were a mystery to me. I had no idea why they did half of what they did, and I'd determined I didn't want to know. You might spend decades attempting to sort out that nonsense and never succeed. When it came to guys, I concluded that ignorance was bliss. I'd learned to go with the flow and hope that I didn't get too chewed up in the process.

Falcone continued to speak. "To males like Finn, saying crap like that is a dare."

“What?"

"He's the President of a Motorcycle Club. He has money. He's got guts. He's intelligent. He exudes charm. He has considerable authority. Men enjoy that, and women are simple. Men like that do not seek easy ladies. They desire women who are both clever and attractive. When a woman says she doesn't want anything to do with males and plans to start a ferret rescue, men like Finn see it as a challenge, and challenges are what they thrive on. They exist just to be challenged. What you said to Finn was the equivalent of a guy approaching him and shoving him in a bar. He’s gonna react to that, strongly, and best the situation no matter what he has to do to do it.”

"That's insane," I said, because it was.

"It's Finn."

I locked my gaze on him. Then it struck me.

"It also includes you."