MadisonCelina joins us in the medical room while I stitch Alex’s forehead. He’s been grumbling at me since we left the conference room. Celina and I grin. We both know what his problem is. Even with blood covering one side of his face, the man is seriously sexy in his boots; he should wear them more often.“Stop whining, cowboy,” I say just to get under his skin after he complains I’m too rough with the needle. I glance at Celina and wink. She winces when I slide the needle through his skin and I start the serious work without teasing him.The injury is a little more than a scratch and requires nine stitches. Moon went to the control room to check on some new information while I tackle the whiney baby. Neither Moon nor Alex handles an injury well. Doesn’t matter if it’s a bullet or a splinter in their finger. Men!When I’m tying off the last stitch, Alex brings his hand up and grabs mine. “You okay?” he asks solemnly.He’s not talking about stitching him up. “I’ve been better,” I say
MoonMadison is waiting in our room when I’m finished with a few security details. I was extremely proud of how she handled herself in the earlier meeting. It doesn’t mean I’m not worried about what she’s been through. Her turnaround has been too quick. It’s possible she’ll take a step backward and hide in the dark again. If I dare mention that she’s delicate, I’ll be sleeping with Two Dogs for the foreseeable future.She’s sitting on the bed staring at her toes and when she sees me, a small smile quirks her lips. “You’ve been very patient with me.”“I love you,” I say simply and take her hand.She looks away, which bothers me. “I need to tell you everything that happened,” she whispers so low I almost don’t make out the words. “I know I shouldn’t be ashamed. My rational brain tells me this, but the irrational part is having trouble.”“Tell me when you’re ready, baby. I’ll be here.” I circle one arm around her back and she rests her head on my shoulder. “I just want it done and over w
MadisonSofia mentioned Dax’s new bodyguard the last time I spoke with her. Apparently, Dax met the guy in prison and at some point, saved his ass in a yard scuffle. To step in as Dax’s bodyguard meant the guy was dangerous. What I didn’t expect was his size. Dax is a large dude. Duke takes large to another proportion. He’s the biggest man I’ve ever seen in person—pure muscle on an almost seven-foot frame, shaved head, surprisingly intelligent blue eyes, clean-shaven, wearing jeans and a black skintight tee, with chain-accented black biker boots. The perfect, if there is such a thing, Aryan comes to mind. Sofia had reservations about him until he rescued her two-year-old hellion daughter from one of her many dangerous scrapes. She says the child is glued to the big man. Sofia used the word “big,” so I expected big. What I didn’t expect was someone who could go toe to toe with Andre the Giant. Shit, I think while covertly spying on him while he stands at Dax’s side, I wouldn’t have wan
MadisonThe room’s gone quiet at Cori’s outburst and I’m at a crossroads. Do I rescue her from Dax’s new bodyguard or do I allow Cori to deal with the situation herself? In the past, it wouldn’t be an issue because she could easily put the giant in his place. Right now, I’m not so sure.Duke ignores her outburst and calmly fills her plate. When there’s more than enough food for her, he pivots and walks to the vacant chair beside his and rests the full plate on the table at Cori’s place setting. Her eyes find mine and she mouths, “What the fuck?” Then, she doesn’t walk to the table, she marches. Duke holds the chair for her and I swear steam comes from her ears. She gives him an exasperated look without taking the proffered chair. She looks around for another place to sit and then eyes the door leading to the hall. This isn’t like Cori. She’s a woman with attitude and never puts up with shit. Being under Fernandez’s thumb has affected her like it has me. She went through everything I d
FernandezI send Goose to pick up the C-4. This is placing a lot of trust in an idiot, but leaving the house is not in my plans for now. After killing the girl Goose brought, the manic anger I’ve been dealing with is under control. Goose took the girl’s body with him and will dispose of it.Using my laptop, I search Google maps for Moon’s property. The aerial view isn’t great and the darned zoom feature doesn’t let me see more than the connecting street and driveway leading to the house, but it helps a plan formulate in my brain.While working on the details, my cell rings. It’s an unknown caller. “Hello,” I answer while looking at my fingernails, which need a manicure.“Moon has a warehouse and we need you to get him to pay it a visit. We’ll take it from there.”Even the cartel is incompetent. “How the hell do I get him there?”“If you hand yourself over, it’s where you’ll end up. Be creative and do it quick.”The line goes dead. I made a deal with these guys so they could take care
MoonTaking a break and enjoying dinner was good for Madison. She needed a sense of normalcy and Gabriella provided it. I would like nothing more than to take her to bed before my meeting with the men. She’s now part of that meeting, though, so I won’t be tucking her in for the night until afterward. We chose to take a walk around the property with the short time we have.Even with the sun down, the temperature is in the nineties. I left my suit jacket behind after Madison gave me the look. My skin is damp beneath my dress shirt, so I’m glad I did. Autumn can’t get here fast enough.With Madison’s hand held firmly in mine, Two Dogs runs around stiffing the trail in front of us. The path circles the property inside the fence offering a landscaped oasis in the desert complete with a small water fountain I had installed to commemorate the place where I touched Madison intimately for the first time. I never told her why I put the fountain there. The look in her eyes when she saw it was en
MadisonIt’s been three days since the meeting. Moon has continued the lockdown and he hasn’t left the house. It’s like he thinks if I’m out of his sight, Fernandez will take me again. We can’t run scared from this madman and Moon isn’t behaving like the badass crime boss he is. He’s worried. I see it in the firm set of his jaw and his sleepless nights. My husband is walking a thin line and sooner or later, he’ll break. He isn’t a man who sits on his ass and allows others to handle the dirty work. This is killing him slowly.I’ve had enough.All the women and I are sitting in Alex and Celina’s apartment under the guise of needing a women’s-only book club meeting. “Moon has no intention of allowing me to lure Fernandez out of hiding and I need your help,” I say. Melina, Sofia, Celina, and Cori nod in assent.An armed escort brought Sofia here to the house fifteen minutes ago. I miss the twins, but they’re safer at Dax’s compound. When this is over, I’m taking an entire day and spending
FernandezMy fist hits the table and the cheap piece of junk falls apart. Moon has his compound locked down tight and the Frontera Cartel is breathing down my neck to deliver myself on a silver platter. It won’t happen. The only positive is that neither Moon nor the cartel have any idea where I am.Goose is smarter than I gave him credit for and is making himself scarce because of my mood. The need to kill someone is eating at me and even though I need him, when the rage hits and I can’t relieve it with cunt, he’s in danger. My sister will pay for the desperate straits she’s put me in. From losing my men and home, to her fucking another man, she will suffer for the rest of her life.I look up at the ceiling and run through the plan I laid out for Goose. A slow, satisfying smile spreads over my face as I picture Moon and his bitch’s death. Goose might not come out of this alive. Fucking too bad. It’s one less person I’ll need to kill if the plan works and I no longer need him. What I d