He led me back into the room, one hand over my mouth, and the other still holding a gun to my head. Cole was standing over Stefano with his foot on his chest and had a gun pointed at his head. If I never saw another gun in my life, it would be too soon. Mystery Man jammed his weapon further into my skull, causing me to cry out, earning Cole’s attention.
“Let. Her. Fucking. Go.” Cole didn’t look afraid, but I could see his pulse jumping wildly in his neck.
“You first, friend. Why shouldn’t I kill her right here and now? You and your men killed mine. Every single one of them, save for that sorry bastard on the ground.”
“Everyone knows you don’t go after women and children, Lucky. That’s punk shit.”
Lucky. As in the Lucky Luciano. Awesome. I felt him shrug behind me. “I do what I need to do to get the results I want. No one is off-limits, including this pretty little thing.”
I could tell Cole was trying hard to keep his temper under control by the way he inhaled through his nose and squeezed his eyes shut tight before responding. “Let her go right now, and you and I can settle this. Just let her leave.”
“Sorry. No can do. Release him first, and I’ll think about letting her live.”
“Now, now, gentlemen. There’s no reason we can’t come to some sort of agreement, now, is there?” Graham’s voice echoed thr
oughout the building, but I couldn’t see him.
“You steal my containers, you kill my men, and you think you’re in any position to negotiate?!” His harsh laughter in my ear made me jump.
“I have a proposition for you that I think you’ll be very interested in.” Graham’s voice sounded aloof, almost bored even. This motherfucker was made of ice. He moved into my line of sight, successfully shielding Cole from his view.
“I’m listening.”
“Let the girl go, and we’ll discuss. This is the men’s business. Women have no place in such dealings.”
I raised an eyebrow at him, but realized that it was his way of getting me out of there, and now was not the time to start burning my bra. Not that I even had one to burn at the moment.
Lucky’s gun moved from my head to Graham’s, and he released me.
“So help me God, if you even so much as sneeze in my direction, I won’t hesitate to blow your fucking head off. But I won’t stop there. I’ll kill your little wife, too. Now, start talking.”
Graham jerked his head, motioning for me to get the fuck out of Dodge. This time, I didn’t hesitate. I flew out of there like a bat out of hell with Cole’s white V-neck swishing around my thighs. I busted out the back door, straight into another pair of arms.
Not again.
“You Cole’s bird? Easy now, luv. I got you.” He had an Irish accent, even thicker than Carter’s, and I was thanking my lucky stars that it wasn’t an Italian one. I looked up into the scariest pair of ice blue eyes I had ever seen. He was tall, pale, hair the color of obsidian. His features were harsh, but beautiful. He seemed elegant, regal almost, but also cold and lethal. This man was a walking contradiction.
“Who the fuck are you?” I snapped, ready for the night to be over already.
He took a step back and released my shoulders.
“Name’s Sinclair. You can call me Sin. You kiss your mother with that mouth?”
“Hell no.”
His lip twitched in response.
There was a group of young men behind him, and holy fuck, I was pretty sure there were strict rules to being a part of their little club. Rule number one: Must be drop-dead gorgeous. Rule number two: Must be above six feet tall. Rule number three: Must be a badass.
Finally, I saw a face I recognized when Carter made his way to me. I hadn’t spent much time with Carter, but I had always liked him, even when he booted my ass out of Hot N’ Heavy all those years ago. I had a major lady boner for him right from the start. He and Cole both. But then I got involved with Stefano.
I didn’t know Carter very well, anymore, but something about him endeared me to him. Sometimes, I just wanted to hug him, but I didn’t think he’d appreciate it. He was an observer. When he spoke, everyone listened, because he didn’t bother unless it was something worthy of saying. He was tall, tan, and muscular, but leaner than Cole. While he was a man of few words, he still managed to appear cocky as hell without engaging in pissing contests, like most men. I had a feeling his machismo was all a front, though.
“Come here, now, darlin’. I’ll give you a lift to Cole and my place. Dahlia and the kids should be there now. Stiles and Carrick are gonna stay at your flat to take care of you ladies until the shitstorm’s over.”
I nodded, my exhaustion catching up with me, too tired to even wonder who Stiles and Carrick were. Dahlia mentioned Graham had been recruiting more men. I guess he wasn’t fucking around. I wouldn’t let myself sleep until I knew Cole was okay, though. I followed Carter to one of the SUVs, and he opened the passenger door for me, even helping me inside.
“Buckle up,” he said sternly before he shut my door and jogged around to the driver’s side.