Chapter 23
The meeting dragson and on. We plan for multiple contingencies because we”re hitting two locations at once. Willow was right that Nolan would do everything he could to get her attention. Even with her sitting on my lap, he openly flirted, and when that didn”t work, he asked her a barrage of questions about what they did to her at Mecca. Things that have zero bearing on our plans. Thankfully, Seamus told him to shut the fuck up before the thin thread of my control snapped, and I ended the meeting by gutting him right here on the table.
Several of the others were uncomfortable with Nolan”s line of questions, too. Mauve stared daggers at him every time he spoke, and she didn”t even know about his deception. When she finds out, shit”s going to get nasty. She already doesn”t like him because he tried to talk Seamus into adding gambling dens like Mauve”s to their gambling empire. They focus on sporting events… typical bookies that break knees when you don”t pay type stuff. Mauve has high-end underground casinos. They”ve had a peaceful relationship since Mauve”s grandfather started the business. Nolan nearly undid it all by starting a war.
Finally, the meeting wraps up. I text Shawn, Davis, T.J., and Mauve to stay behind once we”re done. Mauve, Sissy, and Chante move to the kitchen area, where they sometimes gather to chat after our meetings. Davis follows them, flirting with Sissy. The man has a death wish. She looks sweet, but that”s a fa?ade. She”s deadly like my Beauty. Looks are deceiving, for sure.
T.J. and Shawn come up to me and Willow. T.J. tells Shawn about how good Willow is with any firearm put in her hands. He scoffs; obviously, he doesn”t believe him. T.J. pulls out his phone and, after a few taps on the screen, hands it off to him. Shawn watches, eyes growing wider by the second. When the video is over, he”s looking at Willow with awe.
”That”s the first time she”s ever ran a course,” T.J. brags. ”And only the second day she”s ever trained with a firearm.”
Willow is blushing at the pride in T.J.”s voice. I”m glad my friend has accepted Willow. He felt horrible for scaring her, and knowing more about her history has put him firmly on Team Willow. I”m glad because he”s an excellent person to have on your side.
”You”re a natural,” Shawn says. ”Have you tried a sniper rifle?”
”Not yet, but it sounds like a fun challenge. Maybe after this mess is over, I can try?” She looks up at me questioningly.
”Of course, love. You can do whatever you want.”
Shawn grunts. ”Let me know when you”re ready. Y”all can come up to my property, and I”ll teach her.”
Willow looks surprised by the offer.
”Shawn was a SEAL and an expert marksman. He”s the best when it comes to teaching you the ins and outs of sniper shooting. He taught me,” I say.
”Wow. Okay. Thanks,” Willow says, genuinely pleased.
Finally, the others are gone, and we can get down to business. I lead everyone to the tech room because I don”t trust the public areas to not be bugged. We have a snake, and until we get rid of it, I won”t trust anyone who I wouldn”t put at my back in a fight. Once the door is closed, I grab a bug detector and sweep it over everyone, just in case. Everyone is clear of bugs, thankfully. Everyone but Willow, Sissy, and Chante are looking at me like I”m losing my mind.
”Want to tell the class what the fuck is going on?” Mauve asks.
Willow seems to deflate under the weight of what we”re about to tell them. I move to the couches we have set up for the tech people to rest on or work from. I sit and pull her down onto my lap. Before I can start telling them about Nolan, she starts talking. Willow tells them everything she knows about Nolan and, with my nod of approval, tells them about the Russians.
Everyone is surprised by both Nolan”s deception and the Russian”s involvement. We talk for over an hour making our own plans. T.J. is going to call in extra guys that are loyal to him. Shawn has a team of ex-military men who live for stuff like this and will gladly help. Mauve will call in her brother from Chicago, who married into the Italian mob and became second in command. He”ll send some of his guys. Plus, he has connections with the Italians here in New York City, so that”ll help if it comes down to war against both the Russians and the Irish.
If I didn”t have to worry about going against both the Irish mob and the Russian Bratva, I wouldn”t even consider bringing in the Italians into it. I might be on good terms with Dominic Savada after what Damon did years ago, but we aren”t friends by any means. I respect how he runs his businesses and the fact that he disowned his son when he found out he was trafficking women, but that”s it.
It”s tricky asking any mob boss for assistance; it always comes with a price, and I don”t want to owe a debt to Dominic. If Jett makes the request, I won”t be on the hook for repayment. It”ll be a complicated situation since I know that Damon is working with the Russians, so he”s involved in what is happening at Mecca and the mansion. Even killing a dishonored and disowned son to the Don is risky. Asking the father to help with that is a bad idea, so I will keep Damon”s connection to the Russians a secret for now.
Sissy and Chante aren”t fighters. They help get the women out and to safety, so their parts haven”t changed; we”re changing the locations where they will pick up the women, but that”s it. In less than two hours, we”ve made an entirely new plan that revolves around the old one.
I”m thankful that I have such good people in my corner. Willow is going to be safer than anticipated. I”m not sure if she realizes it, but Shawn inserted himself and his team into place with me and her. I won”t argue because I know they will put her safety first. We share a look of understanding that Willow is the priority no matter what else happens.
After they leave, Willow and I hang back so I can contact the Savage Knights. Surprisingly, Gunner and his guys are in Boston following a lead on a trafficking ring they”ve been trying to unravel for several months. The lead was a dead end, and they were heading back to Texas tomorrow. We couldn”t have gotten any luckier than having them so close by. They”ll be here by morning, so we can fill them in on everything.
I send an encrypted email to Hera, letting her know what”s happening. She may or may not show up. She”s not big on free help, but I”m hopeful my message is vague enough to pique her interest. I”m sure the little thanks for the present remark will at least garner a phone call. Willow smacked my shoulder when I told her what I wrote. She thought I shouldn”t be so vague, but I explained a little more about Hera and she begrudgingly understood.
When we finally leave the warehouse, it”s after eleven. Willow falls asleep against the door on the drive home. She jolts awake when I touch her, her eyes wild. It takes a moment for her to realize where she is and relax.
”Sorry, I didn”t mean to fall asleep,” she says around a yawn.
”It”s okay, love.”
She leans heavily on me as we walk to the elevator, so I scoop her up into my arms and carry her. I like having her in my arms better, anyway.
”I”m going to forget how to walk if you keep carrying me everywhere,” she complains.
”Good. Then you”ll always need to be in my arms.”
She shakes her head but smiles indulgently. ”You spoil me.”
”Spoiled princess, remember?”
”As long as you”re spoiling me with love and not gifts, I guess it”s okay,” she says. Her eyes grow huge when she realizes what she said.
”You”ll have to get used to both, beauty. I”m going to shower you with gifts and love you so fiercely you”ll forget what it was like without me loving you,” I say fervently. It”s too soon for confessions of love, but fuck it, I already know she”s it for me.
”You love me?” The words are whisper soft like she is terrified to hear the answer but has to know anyway.
”I know it”s crazy and fast, but that doesn”t matter. I”m not a conventional kind of man. I knew I wanted you the first moment I held you in my arms. That obsession has only grown. When you gave yourself to me so sweetly, you sealed your fate. I”m never letting you go because to let you go is to break my own heart, and I”m a selfish bastard. You”re mine, Willow. Mine to cherish and love until my next breath.”
She”s obviously gob-smacked because she isn”t saying anything, but she”s not looking at me like I”ve lost my mind, so that”s a positive. I stand at the foot of our bed with her in my arms, waiting for her to collect her thoughts. We”ve got forever, so I won”t rush her. I know she might not be on the same page as me yet, but that”s okay. She has been traumatized. Just because she”s dealing with everything really well doesn”t mean she”s ready to give her heart away. She may never be able to love me, and that”s fine as long as she doesn”t leave me. I”ll love her hard enough for the both of us.
”I love you, Kisten. I thought I was crazy.” She laughs a little. ”Everything considered, I probably am a little crazy.”
”We”re all a little crazy. Besides, I like your flavor of crazy. Tastes sweet like honey but better.”
She snorts a laugh. ”You”re awful.”
I nip her neck. ”And you”re delicious.”
”Say it…”
I look into her beautiful blue eyes. I can see how hopeful she is that this is real and she”s not actually going crazy. Silly woman will learn not to doubt me. ”I love you, Willow. Always.”
She smiles, and it lights up her whole face. ”I love you, Kisten. Forever.”
She presses her lips to mine. Our kiss starts soft and sweet but quickly turns heated. It doesn”t take long for us to fall into bed, yanking our clothes off hurriedly. We fuck like the world is going to end. Willow screams herself hoarse from her multiple orgasms, and I come harder than I ever have, filling her so full my release spills out around my cock.
We collapse onto the bed, and I cradle her in my arms. She moves into her favorite position on my chest. She reaches between us and guides my half-hard cock back inside her slippery heat. She makes a happy humming sound and settles her ear over my heart.
”I love this,” she murmurs sleepily.
”What”s that?” I ask, desperate to know what part she likes best.
”Sleeping on top of you. Having your cock inside me all night. I love being connected like this,” she says.
I kiss the top of her head and hug her a little tighter. ”I love it too. Being buried inside your sweet pussy is my new favorite thing. If I could carry you around on my cock all day, I would.”
She giggles. ”Can you imagine the chaffing?”
I tickle her side. ”Don”t ruin the fantasy.”
”Sorry,” she squeals. ”I promise I won”t ruin any more unrealistic fantasies.”
”Good. Now get some sleep, love. We”ve got a big day tomorrow.”
She sighs. ”I hope everything works out. Nolan tipping the Russians off is going to be a big problem.”
”Don”t worry about that anymore tonight. We”ve got it handled.”
I stroke my fingers through her hair, helping her relax. It doesn”t take much longer for exhaustion to pull her under. Her steady breathing eventually lulls me to sleep despite my brain reviewing every aspect of our plan.
I”mjerked awake by clapping and annoying laughter I”d recognize anywhere: Hera. Willow scrambles off me and almost nosedives off the bed before I can grab her.
”I knew you”d be hung, Kist, but damn. Good job locking that dick down, girl.” Hera says, plopping down on the empty side of our bed.
I pull the blankets up over us. ”Jesus, fuck, Hera. What the hell did I say about letting yourself into my home?”
She waves a hand. ”Who knows. I stopped listening when you went on and on about how closed doors are closed for a reason. Blah blah blah.”
”I was in the middle of taking a shit!”
Willow giggles, and I give her a look that makes her stop.
”Everyone poops, Kist. Get over it. I got your message. T.J. filled me in a bit when I took the gag out,” Hera says with a dreamy expression.
”He”s going to kill you one of these days,” I warn.
She laughs. ”He likes my pussy too much to kill me.”
I shake my head. ”I said what I said.”
Hera shrugs. ”I”m hungry… and bored.”
She jumps up off the bed and leaves the room, probably going to the kitchen to see what there is to eat.
”She”s… interesting,” Willow says.
”She”s a menace but is the best at what she does. We better get cleaned up before she remembers she can”t cook and comes back in here,” I say.