After breakfast, Massi and I took Amara for a little walk around the property. I'd been to Sicily before, but never during the day. She had a different kind of vibrance washed under the sun. A slower, lazy rhythm that seemed to speak to my soul. Amara dashed and darted everywhere her chubby little legs would take her. And the girl could climb like she was a monkey. Up rocks in the garden. Over the edge of the fencing. It felt like every five minutes, Massi was rushing towards her as he attempted to rescue her from one height or another. Her little fingers were scrabbling at the edge of the boulder she'd fearlessly attacked. I squeezed Massi's hand, silently telling him to let me handle it.Walking over, I stood behind her so she wouldn't fall. "Up here, Monkey." I tapped a low spot with my fingers. "Put your foot here. You can do it. You're big and strong and brave."Amara's brows lowered in concentration as she attempted to lift her leg up. I helped place it when I saw it wa
We stood at our posts. Silent in the aftermath of the explosion. With sign language, I was able to check in with each of my team. Thankful once again that my brothers all ranged out into different groups. If this kind of shit kept happening, I was going to force every single one of them to learn sign language.No one had any idea of what was actually happening. We were still waiting on word from the tech chief. Namely Nik, since she was in-house. That woman ran technology better than a plant synthesized sunlight. One of the guys on my team handed me the inner ear comms device. Shoving it in my ear, I tried to listen in as the various teams registered the all clear in their zones. Nothing from Nik. I turned to Striker, my preferred tech guy. Nik says what? I asked through sign language. He shook his head. Held up his hand in an O shape, shook it slightly. Nothing. Drawing a question mark in the air, I told him to ask her. "Grasshopper, this is Striker. Wraith wants inte
I stuck my face up into the burning cold water that fell from the shower faucet. Shivering and crying, I tried to get myself under control. Tried to keep from shaking apart from the inside out. Raging against the cage I felt closing in around me never helped. Nothing did really. Not medication. Not meditation. Nothing. Just having to wait it out. I'd thrown out my Valium when we traveled to Italy. I didn't need customs looking too closely at me. And my prescription was way too old for me to legally have the drugs in my possession anymore. So here I was, hiding in my shower like the frightened little mouse Rafe had called me. I hung my head. Shoving the faucet handle all the way to the far side, I bit my lip to keep from screaming as the water changed from arctic temperatures to Saharan desert in the middle of the summer. I heard him walk into the room. The sound of the shower no match for his energy. Like a huge spring tornado, I had no idea how others didn't notice him. Su
Raising my head, I stared down at my woman. Something was off. I couldn't tell what it was...yet. But I would. But right now, we both needed to actually shower. Hoisting myself up off of the haven of her body, I drew her up with me. Pulling her into my arms, I carried her back into the bathroom. Hit the shower handle to give us some more warm water. Settling her on her feet, I guided her under the water. Watched as the water caressed her skin. Her complexion was the embodiment of strawberries and cream. And tasted just as sweet. Pumping a handful of shampoo into my palm, I set to washing her hair. I would never admit it, but I loved washing her long tresses. It was so soothing. The scent of the jasmine and vanilla shampoo, the feel of her hair between my fingers. The suds that made her silky smooth as they vanished under the pounding stream of water. She closed her eyes, tipped her head back. With her hands against my chest and her heart next to mine, I took care of her. Wh
My eyes widened as I watched the men all glare and snarl under their breath. Caught between conflicting emotions, I glanced up at Massi's face. Saw the slight smile that pulled at his delicious mouth. Everything inside me settled. As long as Massi wasn't mad at me. One of the girls snagged my arm, pulled me to the girls' side of the imaginary line. "Eden's ours, too. And from what we just learned, she's even better than Mas. So get ready to get spanked like bratty babies," Tali said, a smile in her voice. From over my shoulder, she shooed Massi to the other side of the room. "Go on. Get over there. We've got her and we'll protect her."While I wasn't quite sure what kind of protection she thought they could offer, I wasn't really willing to speak up to change her mind. Assuming I could work up the courage to actually use my voice when it felt like everyone was glaring at me. "YAY, EED!" Amara clapped from the sidelines with Momma. "Girls best!"Momma chuckled as she circle
I watched Eden as she tentatively joined in the female camaraderie that was the women of my family and extended family. I had no reservations about her joining their ranks. In fact, I hoped she would. Let some of their confidence and badassery rub off on her. This time, when her cheeks flushed, I could see the twinkle of joy in her eyes. Embarrassment wasn't even a shadow in her blue gaze. If she could stick it out, let them in, let herself out, they would be a great support network for her. None of us got through this life alone. As much as I wished I could. But if she fit in somewhere, I wanted it to be here. With me. With them. With us. Turo tapped my shoulder. Jerked his head over to the cabal we'd just created. "Get your head in the game, bro. We're going to need your help and extensive network to beat our girls."I just smiled. Nodded. Turning to Striker, I signed, "Who runs tech?"His eyes widened as he voiced my question to the group.Every single man in my famil
We walked out of the huge kitchen and wandered back through the halls towards the mission ops room. Why they all wanted to meet there was a reason I couldn't fully understand, but I was just happy to be involved. Talking to Nik at lunch had been nicer than I thought possible. Even if it had been just a simple conversation with another woman. Massi squeezed my hand, drawing my attention.I turned to look at him. "I proud you," he signed. My soul exploded into little animated hearts and sweetly singing birds like in the old school Disney movies. I leaned against him, rested my head on his shoulder. "I'm proud of me, too."My voice was so quiet, I could barely hear it. But he stopped me just outside the doors to mission ops. He lifted my chin. Pressed his lips to mine. When he pulled back, his entire face was glowing. He ran his nose up the length of mine. Pressed another kiss to my forehead. We stood in the quiet, sunlit hallway. How every single space of this main hou
Looking at the group of men who stood around in a small circle, someone could think we were an advertisement in a magazine. I wasn't sure what we were selling precisely, but I had a feeling we would sell it well. The fact that we were all standing around with thumbs up our assess on where and how to start the briefing for taking down South Point told me just how much we'd all come to rely on the women in our lives to help with the thinking part of things. Of course, we would probably never tell them this, but as we looked at each other, we certainly all knew it. Foster let out a disgruntled sigh. "For fuck's sake, we know how to do our damn jobs. It's not like they do everything for us. I was a damn good operative before getting out and joining Penn because he needed me."Penn snorted. "Then get the fuck on, man. Regale us with your greatness. Point us in the right direction. But screw it up and you don't get to talk again."Foster zipped his lips, glared at Penn, crossed his
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