With that parting shot, she bites at my jawline, the stinging flash of her tiny teeth on me making my blood boil. She turns to swish to the bathroom, but I reach out, smacking her ass through the denim miniskirt.
The pop is loud in the silent room, but her cry is one of pleasure, not of pain. She glares at me over her shoulder, but I can see the spark of interest in her eyes and make a mental note of that. Oh, Angel. You do have a little devil inside you, and those wings might not be the purest white either. Fuck me, but it makes you even sexier.
But as the bathroom door shuts behind her, I know I can’t go there with her, no matter how much we keep crashing into each other. The whisper of the shower through the door is pure torture, but with this sword of Damocles hanging over our heads on a single silken thread, I can’t let myself get any more distracted by the pleasures that she offers me or the ones I could readily give to her. I can’t, because I have to keep her safe. I have to get us both out of this mess. That’s all this can be, or we’ll both end up dead.
The fact is, even at my best, I might still end up getting us both killed, but I have to try. And I need a clear head for this. The dire thought is enough to calm my raging desires and let my brain focus on the tasks ahead. Taking a moment to at least undo my zipper and let my cock have a little bit of relief , I dig in my duffle to pull out a burner phone.
I dial Chucky, a guy who’s more a tool than a friend, but someone good to have on your side. He’s gotten in trouble a few times with the law and walks in that gray area where what he does can be legal or illegal simply based on whose computers he’s doing it to and who he’s working for. The line connects, but it’s silent, as always, because he waits for you to speak. “Chucky, it’s Shane. Ran into some issues at work.”
His voice, high-pitched and wheezy, comes through the line like it always does. “Shane. Good to hear from you, man. Heard there was some carnage.”
Chucky speaks like everything is a video game come to life, and I doubt he’s ever seen actual carnage or he wouldn’t throw that word around so carelessly.
“What have you heard?” I ask, not only for curiosity’s sake but to know how fast and far the word’s getting out. I can judge the heat on me and the severity from that.
“Heard a legacy man went down on enemy soil,” Chucky replies. “That true?”
I consider how much to tell him, but I need his help, and getting information comes at a price, usually telling or confirming information. And this isn’t too bad. Chucky can’t use it to hamstring me. “True. Professional hit on Dominick’s turf. Carlos Rivaldi.”
Chucky whistles low and long, knowing that there’s always a ticking time bomb between the Rivaldi and Angeline families, just waiting on the spark of ignition, which this could be. “That is a problem, isn’t it, Shane? You do it?”
“No,” I growl, wanting him to understand this one hundred percent. “Did you forget who the fuck I am? I had nothing to do with it. Hitman came in and out clean, and we were all chasing our tails to catch him, deal with Carlos, and get the girls out.”
“Girls? What girls?” Chucky asks, and I can hear the excitement in his voice.
Shit. He didn’t know about the girls yet. “Girl was in the room when the show went down, uninjured. Another was in the hallway, also uninjured. Come on, man, it’s Dom’s club. What did you expect?”
“Hmm, either girl see the hitman?”
Trying to appeal to his nature, I use his vocabulary. “Maybe. That’s why I’m calling, Chucky. I got an innocent that needs protection, needs to disappear for a while, maybe long-term respawn.”
Chucky laughs in my ear, not harshly but he’s not buying it yet. “Good one, but don’t bother, Shane. Just tell me.”
I try again, knowing I don’t have a lot of time. “Look, Dominick’s keeping the dancer safe. She’s his. But this other girl, she’s mine. Not like that, but I promised her I’d keep her safe. Also, right now, other than the camera, she’s the primary witness who can identify the hitman and help figure out who’s behind the whole thing. I need you to see what you can find out. Let me know how much shit we’re in here and if we should be hiding from Dominick or Sal or both of them. I don’t fucking know.”