Cade Burns
I stood under the stream of the shower, closing my eyes and pumping my dick. I leaned into the cool tiles as I groaned. My mind went to Aria resting beneath me, pressing herself upward until our lips nearly brushed. I thought about the soft skin beneath the boxing gloves, her fists balled as she threw punches that were harder than I ever would have expected from her. She was stronger than I gave her credit for. Much stronger.
I’d always envisioned a scared and weak little girl when I thought about her, but she was more than that-more than I ever would have anticipated.
I couldn’t get her off my fucking mind. I hadn’t been able to get her off my mind since she’d come here, but the thoughts had shifted recently. They’d grown more intense. It wasn’t hatred that had run through my mind each time she crossed it. It was lust. I couldn’t stop thinking about every part of her and how she used it as she writhed beneath me.
I couldn’t stop considering how much we both wanted it.
Fucking Aria. This whole fucking thing was a mess.
I released my dick as my load flowed down the drain, and I set the shower to the coldest temperature, grinding my teeth as I endured it for thirty seconds before stepping out.
I had a lot of things to take care of today, especially when it came to the Italian families on my tail after the attack they claimed we’d initiated. I knew I’d have calls to make for the next month regarding the damage from the fiasco, but instead, I put on my shoes and made my way to the car. I
didn’t know exactly where to go to avoid all my problems, but I decided on the only bar in my territory that didn’t swarm with Italian mob members at all hours of the day.
I’d deemed it a neutral bar, and any mob conflict inside would be handled swiftly and usually with execution, so nobody dared to fight in there. No more than the occasional verbal argument arose, and it had become the only place I could go and get a moment of peace from the shit storm that had become my life.
A half-hour later, I sat at one of the bar stools and nursed my second double shot of whiskey, watching as a few of the regulars milled about. One man played pool by himself, and a couple sat at one of the center tables, talking as if it were their first date. I wanted to laugh at the absurdity of that man’s decision.
One of the servers came to my side and placed a hand on my back. I recognized it as an invitation-one that I would have happily taken a few months ago. But the pressure only reminded me of the spitfire who didn’t stand behind me, and I shook my head before she even spoke. “Not interested today.”
I could have easily taken her to the back room that I’d utilized time and time again. I wondered if she’d been one of the chicks I’d fucked back there or if she was a new one in rotation. Her unfazed reaction told me that she’d likely offered and been turned down in the past.
“Not in the mood for a fuck today?”
I recognized the old, Italian accent-one that the mafia members either had or faked. One that didn’t belong in this fucking bar. I needed a distraction, not a reason to explode with all the problems that brought me here today.
I brought the whiskey to my mouth and took a long sip before setting it in front of me. “I hope you’re not here to pick a fight because I can assure you that today will not be a good day for you to fuck with me.”
The man came to my side, the cheap cologne burning my nostrils as he sat down and turned his body to face mine fully. I’d come here to get Aria off my mind, and this man was ensuring that I did just that as he moved as if he owned the space. He was posturing-making himself appear larger than he was.
I didn’t need to put on a show because the people who mattered knew who I was, and those who didn’t matter didn’t need to know.
“I didn’t come here because I like or respect you,” he told me. “I don’t give a shit if you get a bullet in the brain tomorrow after the stunt you pulled with your guys a few weeks back.”
That was the last thing I wanted to consider. I turned slowly in my seat and took in the man’s baggy pants and stained shirt. He hadn’t bothered to make himself presentable, though that wasn’t unusual for the people in this business. “I can say the same about you.”
He scoffed, his voice nasally. He had one of those faces and voices that begged for an ass beating, and judging by the slightly crooked nose and the nearly faded bruise beneath his eye, I knew he’d received what he deserved.
“You don’t know who I am.”
“No, and that’s because you’re nobody. If I shot you in the head right now, the bartender back there would drag you into the back. He’d call a cleanup crew, and the few people in this joint would be paid handsomely to keep my name out of their fucking mouth.” I chuckled darkly. “That’s what happens when you mess with someone powerful and dangerous like me.
Can you give me a reason I shouldn’t make all of that a reality?”
Good. He finally looked scared as he cleared his throat and nodded. “I came here out of respect for your new wife, not you.”
That caught my attention, and I straightened. “That’s interesting. I’ve cut off the fingers of a man who said her name disrespectfully. Tread carefully.”
He shook his head and went to stand as if saying that he was done with me, but after he mentioned Aria, the conversation no longer remained optional. I withdrew my pistol and held it in my lap, pointing it directly to his groin, and he froze.
“Please, continue with what you had to say.”
He took a shaky breath, and he finally seemed to notice the lack of power he had in this situation. He no longer postured as if he had the power as he sat back in his stool. “I came to warn you.” “Bold move,” I replied.
“Our people are not happy with the Rusos for going against the ideologies of the Italian mafia and forming an alliance with you. Many of them have voiced outrage about the arrangement, but he has kept all talk of that under wraps. Many of the families who overlooked your businesses are becoming wary, and there have been talks of ending the alliance.”
I knew what he meant by saying that, but I needed to hear the words. “You came here to threaten me?”
“I came here to warn you that Aria is in imminent danger. To end the threat, many people are under the impression that they need to end her.”
Fury rushed through me, and I nearly squeezed my grip on the trigger without thinking better of it. I almost acted irrationally, and I never did that. “I want names,” I told him. “And I want to know why you care about her enough to risk your life and come here today.”
He shook his head rapidly. “I don’t know names. I know that the Colombo family is displeased, and the boss has issued a price on her head to end the alliance. All of the other families support that price, and the word has been sent through all the channels to ensure it is carried out. If I could give you a name, I would.”
I grunted, not sure how to process the news that a hit had been put on her head. I’d barely been capable of keeping my own men in line, and now I had to be concerned with another threat?
I didn’t like this, but I realized quickly that he didn’t answer my other question. “Why would you go against your people and help her?” I asked. I couldn’t think of one reason not to pull the trigger and end his life right here. It would be of no consequence when law enforcement wouldn’t dare to enter this place or even respond to this neighborhood. I could make an example of him.
“She was the only one who gave a shit about saving my life when her father was killed. I was one of the men there, and your guys left me for the dead. She came in, and despite losing her father, she saved my life and another. She deserves my respect.”
I wanted so badly to pull the trigger, but if so many Italians were after her for her alliance with me, I wouldn’t kill one of the ones who remained loyal. I couldn’t. “Get the fuck out of here,” I told him.
He didn’t hesitate to scurry away, but he stopped at the door boldly, turning back to say one more thing. I prepared myself to whip around and shoot if he decided to get cheeky, but he surprised me. “Keep a close eye on her because nobody on our end will benefit if she dies.”
I hoped that Serg’s training was sinking in because I’d be damned if I lost the only key to this damned alliance because of some petty Italian bastards.