The Squad

At that moment, I found it strange that I felt no fear in the enclosed space with all these strange men, all of whom were built like tanks. Somehow the big guy with the tattoos and the pain in the ass that was sitting closest to me had got me to trust…no trust is too strong a word. But they’d got me to let my guard down and believe that they wouldn’t let anything happen to me.

I creased my brow as it hit home where I was and what I’d done. I’d heard her name and forgotten everything else. How did I know that they weren’t taking me back, how…?

“Easy, easy, you’re safe, no one is going to hurt you.” Jason’s voice was calm and non-threatening as he leaned towards me.

“How are you reading my mind?” I could tell from his reaction that he didn’t have the answers to that. In fact, he seemed to be just as surprised as I am at the prospect. But I’m pretty sure that there was something freaky going on unless my face had become overly expressive in the last eight hours.

Something I’m pretty sure can’t be true since I’d spent half a lifetime perfecting the art of keeping my inner thoughts hidden. It’s the first thing I’d taught myself to do once I realized that I had to escape my hell. It was the first weapon in my arsenal. So how was he so aware of when I was having disturbing thoughts?

The first time can be easily explained since my brow had been creased, but the second time, and now? “I’m not sure.” He finally answered my question, and I was surprised that he didn’t try to pretend or skirt the issue.

“Well, stop it, ssi-bal.” I had leaned over to give him a tongue lashing, bringing myself into too close proximity, and the fiend reached over and grabbed me by my nape, pulling me in closer to him.

There was no warning, just a quick flash of his hand as it reached out for me, and next thing I knew, I could see the little specks of gold in his midnight dark eyes. “I don’t know what you just said, but I know it’s not good. I warned you.”

“Oy!” It’s the only sound I could eke out before his damn lips were on mine again.

They seemed to linger a bit longer this time, and those soft nibbles he took of my lips before pulling away tugged at something in my tummy before I caught myself. “If you hit me, you’ll get more.” How did he know I was getting ready to deck his ass?

“Hey, Lyon!” The big guy just raised his brow since he and his buddies were already looking in our direction.

“Aren’t you supposed to be protecting me?”

“From everyone but him apparently. I have more sense than to fuck with a man and what’s his. I will ask you, though, not to kick his ass until we land this thing. Blade here doesn’t seem to like flying all that much, and the extra movement might make him lose his shit. Not a good look at thirty thousand feet.”

The others laughed out loud, but I had no damn idea what he was babbling on about. The Blade guy, at least I’m guessing that’s who he is, gave them all the finger, and I wondered at the ease between the men who didn’t seem in the least bit bothered by my presence.

Realistically I know that not all groups of men are joined together to bring harm to those they see as weaker or more vulnerable, but this was a whole new experience for me. From what little I’d picked up from listening in on their conversations here and there, they were all married with kids.

What must it feel like to have someone like them standing in your corner? Not to hurt, but to protect? I thought of my dad and what had been done to him when he tried to protect me, and my mind went right back to square one. I still have a lot to do, no time to daydream about what-ifs. Besides, it’s been a very long time since I’ve needed a dad or anyone to protect me.

MOUTH

“I have to get the hell off this island.”

“You need to calm down.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down, mob boy, you heard what he said up there. Someone put a hit out on my mom, and it’s not who I thought it was all these years. These people that he’s talking about, I have to find them, I have to…” I was starting to shake. I was so mad.

‘This is probably why my dad and uncle didn’t come. They knew what he was going to reveal.”

“They’ll be here later; you can kick their ass then. Right now, I need you to think about our kids and keep a cool head. Too many fucking unknowns around here right now.”