We stood on the tarmac. I watched the woman I love, the woman I've been trying to save for the last three weeks just get on a plane without me. What kind of horrible thing had I done in a past life to earn this kind of karma? A million possibilities rushed through my head. Fine. But it still sucked ass. And not in good ways. Talia stopped at the top of the stairs and turned back. I love you, she mouthed. I love you, too, I said back. She lifted a hand to her head, her thumb and pinky spread wide. She wiggled it near her head. Call me. She winked, ducked under the bulkhead and walked onto the plane. She better get ready for some stellar phone sex. I was already aching for her. Nico clapped me on the shoulder. "Let's go save some people."I nodded. Damn my luck for getting into such a great family.
I slammed my fist down on the small table, glared at the man across from me. "No! I refuse to allow that to happen."The man smiled. I felt my balls curl up inside my body and start to shrivel. Thank the goddess I'd already gotten Jessa pregnant."It doesn't matter if you allow it. It will happen," he said, his voice a low, broken whisper. "You can fight me, but you will lose."Narrowing my eyes at him, I studied his posture. Relaxed, confident, in control. No emotional leakage whatsoever. The man was a bloody statute sunning himself on a summer day with a cool breeze to settle the heat. I sat back. Jessa was going to fucking kill me. Hell, I'd hold still to let her do it. But there was no way around this guy. I should know. He was my little brother. I nodded. "Fine, but you get to tell Jessa." His dark bronze skin washed pale as he swallowed. He gave a short dip of his chin. "Fine." He picked up his phone, punched in the numbers. Massimo's face pinched as he he
Arkady hung up the phone. Gave me a sad smile and put it on the seat beside me. "They're trying to be safe, Jessa. They're not abandoning your sister."I wiped my eyes, kept my head on Talia's shoulder. Feeling like a nauseous idiot wasn't helping the tears clog up. "I know. It just feels like it's been forever. And she's right there." More damn tears built behind my eyes, burned in my throat. "I've been searching for her for so long."Arkady sat back in his chair. He didn't say or do anything but watch me. His light brown eyes steady. "She won't be the same girl."The place in my heart that held my sister twisted. "I know."Arkady nodded. Tali slid over a little, pulled my head into her lap. "But she's got you. And the rest of us. We'll give her the best shot at recovery that she'll get." She ran her fingers through my hair. I nodded. Love spilled through me like hot lava. I hadn't known I was missing a big messy family until Willow crashed into Ryker's life. But I would
Taxing over to the private airfield customs line, we gathered our stuff and waited for the plane to come to a complete standstill. The guys were all good to go: their gazes focused with that relaxed tension in their bodies. We were a small, well-trained strike team. We just had to tell customs we were here for a vacation so we could start on our mission. Easy peasy. The co-pilot came out of the cockpit. "We've been cleared to disembark. Thanks for choosing Elite Air for your private travel needs. Enjoy your stay in Italy, gentlemen." He shook each of our hands as we deplaned. They had quality service. But nothing could compare to using family or family resources for what we were about to take on. I just needed to make sure we had a plane available. Puddle jumping back and forth from Croatia to Italy too often would raise too many red flags. I made a mental note to call Turo. We had a shit ton of logistics to figure out. And if there was ever a planner in our family, it was
I blinked as something cold and damp made a home on my forehead. Groaning, I tried to turn away from it. I needed heat, smoldering, suffocating heat. Not cold. "You're literally green, Jessa. Stop wiggling around. We're about to land," Tali snapped at me as she held my head still in her lap. "I'm never flying on anything smaller than a 747 ever again." I closed my eyes and tried to hold on to my stomach. She chuckled. "I'm not sure that would be cost effective for the family."I clamped a hand over my mouth as the plane dipped and swayed to a lower altitude. Oh sweet goddess, this was going to be awful. I wanted to curl up into a ball, scream like a baby, and have Nico cuddle me on his lap. Surrendering my Badass credentials was going to be bad enough. Having to pick them up out of the puke was going to be humiliating. Right now, though, I just didn't care. Someone grabbed my hand in their warm ones.I opened my eyes, saw Smoke kneeling next to the couch. As I wat
My phone rang just as we were getting ready to sit down for dinner. I sighed, pulled it from my pocket. When I saw Nik's name scroll across the screen, I called out to the room, "Pack it up, we're going to mission ops."Two of the tech team ran over, grabbed my phone. "We'll get it all set up for you, Capo.""Thanks. Just call me Dom, please."They nodded and rushed off. I doubted they'd do what I asked them about my name, but I could try. Well, keep trying. It was essentially useless asking them to be less formal, but Andrea preferred the formality on the regular. Her domain, her rules. Walking with the tide of the tech team and strike team operatives, I carried my plate and glass of wine. Striker and Roger were chatting about something in low tones, a couple chuckles passed between them. Something about Roger made my skin chill, but he was Mas' man. And from what I heard, he was a stellar lieutenant. I could deal with the creepies. Mas and I brought up the end of the t
Nico's face changed into one I hadn't glimpsed in a while. He seemed more like the man who'd yelled and screamed at me when I first met Willow. The implacable demand on his face, the raging will that he kept ruthlessly restrained and funneled into action. He's getting ready for war, I thought to myself. Part of me rejoiced at the caged ferocity on his face. The other part of me whimpered for what my battle would cost his soul. In him, I saw my sister's salvation, my salvation. But also, his damnation. I wouldn't let this consume him. Wouldn't let him take up the burden I'd carried for the last twenty-six years. If I had to let go of the dream of finding Jaz to save Nico's soul, I would. "You still there, counselor?" I asked softly. Something flashed in his eyes. Brought him back to himself, to me. He nodded, that sexy, charming smile pulling at his delicious mouth. "I'm with you, doctor."My heart melted. "It seems we've got some work to do."He nodded. "We do. But e
Bleary eyed, I glared at the phone as it danced its way across the nightstand. When I saw Penn's name flash on the screen, I picked it up. All sleepiness was gone in the blink of an eye. "What's wrong? What's happened?""She's fine. She just fainted. And I hear congratulations are in order," he said in a low voice. "What the fuck, Penn? Spell it out."He gave me the short and sweet version I'm sure worked really well in his boardroom. I'd have to give him props though. He conveyed massive information in a very short amount of time. "Put her on.""She's right here. Want to FaceTime?""Yes. Call me back."Within moments, the video call was ready on my phone. The image fuzzed into crystal clarity. "What the hell, Doc?"Her cheeks flushed. "Ryker already told you. I guess I just wasn't prepared for the news."I swiped a hand through my hair. "I'm going to kill Nik. I swear to the goddess."Jessa chuckled. "Don't. Please. I'm fine. Waking up to a circle of concerned faces
I crept along the rooftop. The target was staying in the long term suites across the road. It was our first night, and it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders the farther we got from New Trenadie. The next moment, I crashed to the roof's floor. "Damn it." She snickered. "Still a sucky spy, Raphael." She slid her body over mine.I sucked in a breath. Nodded. Hell, I practically begged her for it. But without words. When she got that tone, my words were not necessary. She smiled. "I'm not going to beat you to death. Nor am I going to stuff you into a padded room." She bent down, flicked her tongue over my lips. "But I will tie you up, spank you, flog you, fuck you, and then make you do it all over again. My dick went to iron between her legs. Her laugh was husky. "I'm keeping you, Raphael. Do you understand me?"My heart settled. Skipped a beat. "Yes, Mistress."The end.
My phone dinged with a new incoming text message. Considering my phone had been going off since the wee hours of the morning with Willow and Ryker announcing the baby was finally coming, I was tempted to just shut it off. But it could be something important. And since Angelo and I were at home with the other babies, it fell to us to make sure we kept everything running as it should. I grabbed the phone. Unlocked the screen. A video message popped up. Raphael and his girl, Nia. Their heads mushed together to get into frame. "Momma, I have to leave. But I wanted to tell you I love you. And thank you for everything. I will let you know when I get back." Nia smiled. "I'll keep him safe, Momma. I swear it.""Bye, Momma," they said together before they ended the call.I smiled even as tears filled my eyes. Angelo looked up at me from his spot on the bed. He was restrained, a ball gag in his mouth. I held the crop up high. "Our last baby is finally happy, Angelo." I s
Two weeks later I glared at the woman on the table. "I still don't know why I have to be here. I barely know you."Willow snorted. "Because you're scarier than anyone else in my family. And I don't want those doctors trying to get all bitchyyyyyyyy." Another contraction hit her. She clamped down on my hand hard enough that I thought I was going to need surgery to remove the bones from each other. And this little firecracker had more strength inside her than her grip would show. Raphael had told me some of her story. She'd told me the rest of it. A ritual the Amatucci women apparently indulged in was something called Girls' Night. Really it was a bunch of drinking, talking about sex, and watching movies while we ate enough of Willow's confectionaries to give ourselves diabetes. Willow blew out a breath. "Ryker can't handle seeing me in this kind of pain, so he has to stay out in the lobby with the rest of them. You're second chair." She panted. Demanded some ice chips.
Three days laterWalking into my parents house when they didn't know I was alive was a risky thing. A multitude of crappy things could happen. Not the least of which was Momma killing me for real this time. Or Papa crying. Or either of them fainting."Go on," Nia said as she shoved me forward gently. "You're already here. Just go into the kitchen. Nik said she told them to wait for her in the kitchen."I nodded, felt my palms go clammy as my breath backed up in my lungs. This could go terribly wrong. So fucking horribly wrong. Man up, Si, that no longer too small voice said inside me. Since I'd been actively listening to it more, he wasn't so easy to shut up. Even when I wanted to. Thankfully, the nasty bitch who lived inside me was getting fainter. Although he could still throw a temper tantrum to beat a two year old. "I'm right here. And I'll be right here the whole time. They've waited long enough, Raphael." She nudged me again. Even as bile rushed up the back o
We all stood in the kitchen, guzzling water by the gallon. I hadn't been this dehydrated since the last time I got in trouble at Petter Manor. But at least this time it was due to happy tears and reunification. Raphael sat and watched it all. Just absorbed it. But he never got so far away I couldn't touch him. That I even needed to touch him still blew my mind. But I wasn't going to question it. He helped steady me when it felt like everything inside me and around me was bending and flexing too fast for me to catch up. "What are your plans for tomorrow?" Liam asked as he finished his third glass of water. "Tomorrow is the gala. I'm going to string Anders up-the guy who had you kidnapped again. I'm going to tell everyone the Petters have been blackmailing and abusing and paying off that the Petters are dead and gone. That they're all on watch." I studied Liam and Lilly. It blew my mind that they had gone into the government side of this dirty world. That they willingly put t
Nia came over to me while I was helping drag some bodies away. "Hey Raphael, can you come with me, please?"Foster grunted at me as we got the body up on the catering cart. "Go. I've got this." I nodded, turned back to Nia. "Sure, Nia." She took my hand and we walked from the room. Her hand was trembling in mine. It was only the slightest degree, but it might as well have registered on the seismic scale. "You good?" I asked her softly as we walked down a set of stairs. She said nothing, made no movements except to keep walking. I pulled her to a stop. Made her look at me. "Are you good?" I asked again. Her eyes were wide, as if she were trying to stave off the tears. "Amelie and Anton..." she blew out a breath. "They're t-""The only two people you love in this world." I smiled sadly. "I know, Nia."Her eyelids fluttered shut as a tear escaped down her cheek. Her breath was shaky as she exhaled. "I got them away from here. Put them in with a good woman with a hu
Day before the gala "Charlie team in position," the man's voice came through the little earbud I wore in my right ear. I kept a tight hold on my fear. My relief. My heart. All of the planning, all of the tears, all of the arguments. It all came down to this. "Delta team in position," Raphael said through my ear. "Foxtrot team in position," another voice said. I still wasn't quite sure who was who by their voice, but I'd done an okayish job of remembering names and faces. The fact that I had a team full of women with me made me like the Amatuccis even more. They didn't discriminate. If someone had the skill and the drive to join the security teams, they were given a position. "Estrogen team in position," I said. A series of clicks came through the earbud. I'd made a single joke about Echo team being full of vaginas. They called us the Estro team now. Since we were collectively badass, I didn't really care what they called us as long as it wasn't disrespectful. "A
Her babies? She had kids? I shook my head. Knew there had to be a different story, but I needed to get her back with me to learn it. I set her down on the chair. Pushed her head down between her knees. "Breathe, Nia." I made my voice hard. As hard as I dared when all I wanted to do was cuddle her up and carry her away. Nowhere was my fierce and strong Dominant. Right now, she was a broken, hurting woman. I would hold her together until she could find herself again. Ivan came rushing into the room, his gun drawn. He lifted it to the ceiling when he saw what was going on. One of his brows rose in question.I gave him a brief rundown of what I knew. Which was damn little. I shrugged when I was out of information to share. Mas came hopping in behind Ivan. He didn't have a weapon, but he did have concern etched on his face. "Who the hell are you?" a voice said from behind me. I whirled around, putting Nia behind my body as I faced the threat that shouldn't be there. A
After rushing through the shower and the delicious meal that Raphael put together for breakfast, I walked into the space Ivan and Klara had set up for me. Everything was as I left it, but that didn't mean a whole lot. Especially in a place I didn't control one hundred percent. Brushing the weird vibe away, I walked to the computer. Booted everything up. Once it was up and running, I went through my process of accessing my cloud accounts. Jasper had set some up for me that weren't the typical commercial kind. Luckily, I'd memorized the process, or I'd be up a creek with zero paddle at the moment. A ReadMe file was highlighted when I got all the way into my account. I right clicked, read through the metadata how Jasper showed me. Recognizing his signature, I opened the file. Ms. Flower~I've attached all of the information I could find re Cucumber Butt and Pretty Mean. You'll find them in the associated files.I snickered at Jasper's sense of humor. That kid was a genius and