16. Cairo
SIXTEEN
cairo
Bay Astor really needs to start watching her back now that the word is out she’s the heir to The Landings.
It might not be public knowledge yet, but Emilio is gung ho on making her part of his life.
Which fucks up mine.
And now the game has been stepped up.
She’s Emilio Wildes’s so-called daughter, and that’s a fucking problem. My boys and I are tryin’ to pull ties and she’s now another rock in the way.
Without a shit given or her sense on high alert, she waltzes into her classroom without a care in the world.
My first thought—gorgeous—black high-waisted jeans that are ripped at her thighs and a matching black crop top. She has a leather jacket on, completely ignorant that she’s about to learn today.
Just not from her teacher.
“Take a seat,” I announce, leaning against her professor’s desk, and that’s when she jolts. Quickly realizing the classroom is empty and it’s just us two.
She takes an immediate step back, not prying her eyes off me and recognizing danger when she sees it.
Smart girl.
She wasn’t back when we first fucking met, but if she wants to make it out of here alive in this situation, she better give me what I want.
“The fuck are you doing here?” she clips out, clutching to the strap of her backpack as she continues to make her exit toward the door.
I slice my eyes over to meet those piercing blues that my boys seem to be goo-goo ga-ga about. Maybe if things were different for me, I’d be paying more attention to her than I do. “I got today’s lesson, Little Terror. Shut up and listen.”
She’s silent, and it’s actually unsettling for a few moments before she mutters, “What do you want?”
“I want to know what you want,” I counter back. “The news of you being Emilio’s daughter doesn’t work for me.”
Her eyes widen a bit, but it’s those baby blue eyes that hold all of my attention.
Again, maybe in another world, I would work some charm into this scenario and win this chick over, but now that my boys are involved and she’s a current problem, there’s no way.
“He told you.”
Emilio didn’t tell me shit, but Torin sure as hell did. And he’s rattled by it to no end.
It means he won’t be able to get his hands on her because she’s a means to an end.
“I know everything, Little T.”
“Did you do your own DNA test?” she retorts. “Because I’m having a second one done.”
My brows clash together, because why the fuck would Emilio come up with this shit if it wasn’t true? “You’re his daughter. So, let’s cut the shit. As you can imagine, I have enough on my plate. The Forsaken Crew have more than adequate enemies and rivals than to add another one on with you and The Void.”
“I don’t want The Void.”
“But do you want my crew?”
Her flawless skin skews. “No. What the hell would I do with that?”
“Prove it to me.” Her lips part, but she doesn’t seem to know what to say, and I’m honestly not quite sure what I’m asking.
There isn’t necessarily an action that she can perform that would show me she’s not about to use her trump card to wage a war that my brothers and I have been trying to halt since we had any power in our crew.
I push off the desk, plucking a pencil out of a holder, and amble in her direction, watching her tense at my presence. “You’re going to work with me, or?—”
“ What ?” She scoffs at me as if I’ve lost my damn mind, but I haven’t. Having Bay around means I make sure she’s under my thumb at all times. Again, it’ll cause another dilemma in my personal life, but when isn’t there one?
Twirling the wooden pencil between my fingers, I quickly contemplate how this would work in my favor and voice it out loud because, fuck it, might as well. “I want tabs on you at all fucking times. That means me waltzing around you without?—”
“Huge problem, big guy.” She wraps her fingers tighter around the backpack on her shoulder. “I’m already working with someone. And that someone is going to be your worst nightmare, if you don’t fuck all the way off.”
“Looks like you’re going to switch sides.”
“I’m not—” I bump into her body, shoving the pencil horizontally between her lips so she shuts the fuck up.
“This isn’t a negotiation. I’m fucking tired of Wallace, but I’m not looking to start World War III in this bitch either. I bet he wouldn’t mind it, though.”
“Why, because you’ll lose?” With the lead and wood in her mouth, I swear that’s what she says, it wouldn’t surprise me, but that’s not what I’m afraid of.
I’m uneasy about how Emilio will handle it and how he’ll do some stupid shit. The moral of the story here is keeping my family safe, first and foremost, then ending this civil war between two towns. And we can’t do that when Emilio is still heading The Landings.
Especially when he’s creating another gang that only gives him more muscle.
“Say another word, and I’m going to shove that pencil down your throat,” I warn her, still pondering over how the fuck I’m going to save this. I obviously don’t know her plan, what she has cooked up with Wallace, and he won’t meet with me. “I need your boy’s attention. I need a get-together lined up.”
She doesn’t respond, taking my threat literally, or that she honestly doesn’t give a fuck what I want.
“You’re the closest thing I have to him.”
She spits out the pencil and it rolls down her front. “I’m not your in . I’m not in a gang. I’m not into this stupid shit. Why would you want to meet with Wallace anyway?”
I give her a are you fucking serious look.
She’s aggravating, to say the least. Like straight-up a pain in the ass. But she’s not some docile creature that hangs out at home and waits for Wallace to tell her all about his day.
She was at the port when they were loading the guns. She was driving the fucking car when they hijacked the 18-wheeler.
Bay Astor is no saint and all sinner.
“That’s my business,” I deadpan.
“And you’ve got me fucked up if you believe I’m going to allow Levi to waltz into anything with you.”
Touche.
“This isn’t about who has the bigger dick,” I convey. “It’s about?—”
“Get out.”
My palm heaves into her chest, sending her back a few strides before her backpack hits the door. “Listen, you little shit, I’m not into you. So, don’t go thinking this is some ploy to get into your panties. I’ve never been into you. We met when we were kids, and I can’t say that I’m upset about not seeing you since then. However, you’ve punched me in the head once, kicked me in the balls, and now you’re going to give me something to make up for it before I slice you up into pretty little ribbons and send you back to South Shore in pieces.”
She rocks her head back and forth as though I wouldn’t do it.
“Say the word, Little Terror,” I taunt. “I’m so not above making a woman bleed for what I require, and I’m your best bet. Reeve will charm the panties off you, Torin will want to fuck you every two seconds, and all I want is a meeting. You’re smart enough, right?”
“I don’t want anything to do with any of you,” she replies through her teeth, those crystal blues peering up at me like she’s about to pick that pencil up and stab me with it next. “And I’m sure as hell not desperate for Emilio in my life.”
“See, I don’t believe you. I think Levi just got a new chess piece, and I need to know it’s not about to go against me and my boys.” I pluck my cell phone out of my jeans. “Throw your number in there.”
I expect her to argue with me some more, but she plucks it from my grasp. Her fingers, painted with hot orange nail polish, fly over the keyboard before shoving it back into my chest.
Hitting the dial button, it rings and rings and rings, and what do you fucking know, it fucking rings.
Until it doesn’t.
“Hello?”
“Who the fuck is this?” I leer into the line, hurling my glare at Bay.
“The motherfucker who’s going to beat your ass if you don’t stop wasting my time,” the dude on the other line says.
“Damn,” Bay chants sweetly with, I think, the first genuine smile I’ve ever seen. “How are you going to negotiate anything when you don’t even realize Wallace’s voice?”
My fingers that aren’t holding onto my phone seize around her throat because, not only is she still fucking with me, but she’s a smart bitch. Go right to the damn source and get shit done. “Wallace…it’s Cairo Black.”
“What the fuck do you want?” he snarls back. “Lose my number.”
“I got your girl here, asshole. I think you might want me to keep it.” The corner of my own mouth heaves a bit as I cover the mouthpiece. “Do you go by Haven now, Little Terror, or Bay?”
Said girl comes up and digs her fingers into my skin to let her go. It appears that I hit a nerve.
Oops.
“Black, you better not have anything of mine,” Wallace warns, his voice deep and sinister, definitely on the verge of losing his shit. I mean, I’ve seen this dude shank a man without blinking for running their mouth. He’s gone at it with Torin a million times. They’ve been throwing punches at each other since they were strong enough to hurl one that would actually inflict damage.
And the dude is no one to fuck with.
He’s built like a fucking wall. He’s powerful with a fleet of faithful men.
Levi Wallace is a damn king.
“I want a meeting,” I divulge.
“I’m in no mood for cute little prank calls because you’re bored.”
“My little prank wouldn’t happen to have pretty dark hair and haunting blue eyes?—”
“ Where ?”
“Right here.” My thumb runs down the column of her neck even though I’m not sure if he was asking me where Bay is or where I want the meeting. Probably both. “Against a door. I don’t want her…but I know two other people who do. One of them being your best friend in the whole wide world. You remember, Torin, right?”
“I find one mark on her, you’re dead.”
“Then agree to the meeting.”
“You got me fucked up if you think I’m going to play nice with you motherfuckers. You can’t even follow simple directions, like keeping your ass off my land, let alone touching what’s mine.”
“I don’t control Ramsey.”
“But you do fucking Torin Wildes, don’t you? Where’s Bay?”
“Safe.”
“I want to hear her voice.”
“I want you to agree to a meeting first,” I retort evenly.
“You put a bullet in one of my boys and you want a meeting?” He scoffs haughtily. “Did you get hit in the head, too?”
I can’t argue with that. We did. Poor Travis Muncy was an example that Bay didn’t care to take heed of.
“That’s not my problem,” I reply placidly. “You shouldn’t have touched my guns.”
“I hope you’re not in Oceanview College,” Levi divulges slowly, sending nothing but red flags swinging in my head. “Because if you are…you might want to run.”
Then he hangs up.
Which means he’s got someone here. However, it’s a big school, and I wonder how long it would take for them to find us.
Pocketing my phone, his warning rings in my ears, irritating the shit out of me.
And if I find one mark on her, you’re dead.
Since it’s normally Torin and Wallace who go head-to-head, it doesn’t leave much room for me to have a need to insert myself. However, this is my future that sits in the palm of this girl in my grasp and his.
“Sorry, Little Terror,” I mutter. “He won’t meet up.”
“What does that have to do with me?” Her question is nothing but a sweet whisper and it’s music to my ears. Her shutting the fuck up for once in her life.
My chest sandwiches hers between the door as I reach behind her neck and pull away at the long dark hair perched on one of her shoulders. “Everything.”
Slanting forward, I stretch for my gun tucked into the waistband of my jeans behind my t-shirt. I don’t trust her, and if she hits me again, I’m going to put lead in her.
The barrel is nestled into the side of her gut before Bay flinches on impact, giving me the perfect moment to nuzzle my face into the crook of her neck. “Move and I pull the trigger, hear me?”
She bobs her head right before I sink my teeth into the column of her neck. She sucks in a harsh gasp, but she follows my direction, standing still like the good little brat she can be.
Releasing the pressure of my teeth, I lapse at the skin with my lips to alleviate some of the pain I inflicted, because I’m not a total asshole.
My tongue follows, receiving a moany little breath from Bay’s lips, and my cock likes it.
But my head doesn’t .
She smells like something floral and pizza sauce. Who the fuck knew that I’d take such a liking to it?
I feel her swallow under my mouth, only encouraging me on.
I need to stop this.
I also need to prove a fucking point that I can put a mark on her, if I wish.
Levi needs to watch his girl more. And, also, he might want to rethink the whole double agent idea because that’s what I would do.
If Bay was on my side and Emilio was sniffing around, I’d use this whole plot to my advantage and take him down.
Towing away from her, I find her pink and plush lips agape, and I perk a brow. “From the look on your face, it appears that Wallace doesn’t fuck you good enough.”
She’s not quick to right herself, instead Bay is lax against the door. “How about you say that to me while you get rid of the gun?”
“Not gonna get me a third time, Little T. I’m not going out of my way to hurt you just yet.”
“Go to fucking hell.”
“And leave you here all alone?”
“I wish you would.”
I lift my shoulders. “Suit yourself. Convince Wallace to meet. It’ll be best for you, sweetheart.”
Bay presses her lips together as I pry her body from the door so I can leave.
And I get out of Oceanview College just fine.
Wallace’s men suck.