“You’re going to have to work hard to earn a spot in bed.”
“Gladly.” He started the engine and blasted the AC. The windows began to clear, revealing an empty parking lot, the moon full and high in the sky.
He pulled forward and drove us back to the hotel. And that night, he more than earned his spot in the bed. By the time he was finished with me, I was so exhausted, so spent and used up, that I didn’t care where I slept.17LeonidI woke up early and called Hedeon.
“We need to talk.”
“So talk.” He sounded tired and frustrated. I didn’t have time for his moody bullshit. I felt like I was buzzing on Robin still, the touch of her tongue and her tight cunt still etched in my brain.
“In person. I met with a couple Leone boys yesterday.”
His grunt could mean either surprise or anger. “Come in an hour.”
“Fine.”
I hung up, ordered room service, and went into the bedroom. Robin lay sprawled on the bed, sheets in a tangle around her naked body, her tight ass beautiful in the morning light. I could see fingerprints and a palm-shaped bruise, and I was tempted to hit her again.
Instead, I brushed my fingers down her back. “Wake up.”
Her eyes fluttered open. “Uh. What?”
“Sorry. Gotta get up. We have a meeting.”
“Meeting?” She frowned at me and buried her face in the pillow. “What time is it?”
“A little after nine.”
“You kept me up past three last night. I’m exhausted. Go away.”
“Sorry, birdie. Better get up.”
“No. Go away.”
I grinned and decided to indulge myself. I spanked her little ass hard enough to make her gasp.
“Oh, what the fuck,” she said, rolling onto her back. Her pink nipples were hard in the cool hotel air.
“Get up,” I said. “Or I’ll be even meaner next time.”
“I never should’ve let you get this intimate. I’m going to pay for it.”
“Damn right. Now, up.”
I left the room and let her get herself together. The room service came ten minutes later. I drank coffee, ate some breakfast, and listened to her shower. She came out, glared at me, drank two cups of coffee, and let me drag her out the door.
It was a nice weekday morning. Cars rolled past and couples walked their little yappy white dogs. The overgrown pale rats could hardly be called dogs, but whatever, they were fine for boring old people, I guess. We got into my car and I headed up to Fairmount and Hedeon’s place.
“You know it’s rude as hell to wake someone up by hitting their bare ass, right?”
I glance at her with a smile. “Been waiting a while to say that, huh?”
She glared at me. “Just saying. I’m sore because of you.”
“Told you last night. I’m going to ruin you for other men. Good luck feeling that sore ever again.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be an asshole, okay?”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Good.” She took a deep breath and let it out. “So what are we going over here for?”
“Got to tell him about the meeting yesterday.”
“I thought he knew?”
“He knew it might happen, but not when or where or what about. Like I keep telling you—”
“I get it, you guys keep everything contained and separated. Yeah, yeah.” She rubbed her eyes. “I’m too tired for this.”
“Fair enough. You get cranky when you don’t get enough sleep.”
“It’s your fault—”
The first thing I noticed were the two vans at opposite ends of the block. Robin kept going on about being sore and exhausted, but I couldn’t stop staring at the vans. Black, windowless, the sort of vans you drive when you have a purpose. Not fun, pleasure cars, not the sort of practical family cars you’d see in that neighborhood.
No, big, black vans. And two of them.
“Weird,” I said.
She frowned at me. “Weird? What?”
“Sorry.” I nodded at the vans and slowly drove down the block. The first one had a guy sitting up front, dark hair, sunglasses, looked bored. “You see these two vans?”
“Uh, yeah, so what?”
“Two black windowless vans, parked on either end of this block. That’s a little weird, right?” I rolled past Hedeon’s place, then slowed as we came to the end and pulled even with the second van.
Another guy sitting up front. He had on a baseball cap pulled down low and had a thick, dark brown beard.
“I guess.” Her voice didn’t sound sure. “What should we do?”
“I don’t know.” I rolled around the block and pulled off to the side. I put on my hazards and called Hedeon.
He answered after a couple rings. “You nearby?”
“Look out your window. Down to the end of the block, left side. You see it?”
He grunted. I heard blinds open. “The van?”
“Right, black one. Look to the right now.”
“Huh.” Short silence. “Another van.”
“What do you think?”
“I’m getting my bag. I’ll be out in two minutes.”