Chapter 16 Tyson
SIXTEEN
TYSON
Once Massi found out that Emory was the next target, he became a man on a murder spree, knocking out eight men in what could be dubbed as a successful night.
A message has been sent, letting the Ricci’s know that we’re not going down without a fight, and not to underestimate a family that’s been running this quadrant of the Hudson for the last few decades.
Thankfully, Massi kept me on the sidelines, not needing my help as he took out some pent up aggression on his victims – in various, yet creative, ways.
Even so, as we pull off the highway toward campus, I’m not quite on board with the final phase of tonight’s mission.
“Massi, she’s going to bite your head off, spit it out, and then stab at your eyes with a butter knife,” I warn, but he just laughs, something utterly maniacal as the rush of the kill always brings out a very strange side of him, a view I’ve had a front row seat to more times than I can count.
“She’s not staying in that fucking apartment by herself, Ty.
She’s a sitting duck, and we can protect her.
That’s what we signed up for, isn’t it? She’s ours, and we will fucking keep her safe, no matter the cost,” he rambles, and I hold up my hands in surrender, his icy eyes nearly black from dilation.
I don’t like confrontation, and I certainly don’t want to force Carter to stay with us, giving her choices is exactly what she needs, but I kind of have to agree that protecting her is our top priority.
I’d go about it a different way, but after the adrenaline rush Massi’s been through tonight, I ultimately leave this course of action up to him, his crazy approach balancing out my calm demeanor.
We pull up to her apartment, cutting off the headlights and enveloping the street in darkness, but I’m reminded of her bodyguards, knowing that they’re always nearby.
“What about her dumbass team? We promised we wouldn’t hurt them,” I remind, but he only shrugs, not concerned with Dumb and Dumber – as Carter calls them – in the slightest.
“She’ll tell them to stand down,” he says confidently, and rather than offer any more resistance, I follow his lead.
Instead of arguing, I stand back and watch as he picks the lock, making it look like child’s play as he lets us in, gently shutting the door as if we belong here.
“First door on the left. You talk to her while I grab her coffee and snacks,” he says, and I shake my head, utterly dumbfounded at how he’d know those things. “I pay attention, Ty. I’m not exactly grocery-store ready, so what she has on hand will have to do.”
With that, I follow his command, realizing that his obsession with Carter goes deeper than sex.
He’s purposely taken the time to learn her habits, likes and dislikes, and color me shocked, but I never thought I’d see the day.
Selfishly, I assumed I was the only one falling in love with her, or maybe it was a desperate hope that he’d get bored and I’d have all the best pieces of her to myself, but now I realize that we’re both in this for the long haul.
“Baby girl, I need you to wake up,” I whisper, gently shaking her while she sleeps, but her body spins around, facing the wall as she falls back into a deep slumber.
“Carter. We need to go, and I need you to wake up,” I say once more, and as she twists back to face me, a knife hurls straight toward my eye, but I catch her wrist before she plunges it into my cornea.
My grip remains strong as she tries to fight me off, but her eyes finally meet mine, and I feel the moment her muscles relax, her body recognizing that I’m not a threat.
“Tyson?” She whispers, her voice full of uncertainty as she determines whether she’s dreaming or present in reality.
“Yes, baby girl. Come on, there’s a threat, and we need to protect you,” I tell her, and her bright eyes light up the room, finally coming to as she shrugs off sleep.
“A threat? Is Jasper okay?” She sits straight up, digging under her pillows, but I hand her the blade she almost killed me with, a sly smile crossing my lips as she tucks it into her lacy panties without another word, moving through the room while collecting the rest of her clothes.
“Yes, he’s gathering things for you.”
“I’m right here, Principessina. Five minutes, pack a bag,” he says, almost robotically as he enters the room, scanning the street through the window for any signs that we’ve been tailed.
“I can’t just go, Tyson.”
“I’m sorry, baby girl, but I’m on his side here. There’s a threat to Emory as a whole, including this campus, and because of us, you’re a target,” I explain, and she listens intently, following orders as we move around the room in silence, something I didn’t realize she was also good at.
“Are they after you, specifically?” She asks, geared up and ready to leave, but stopping before we leave her bedroom.
“We have it on good authority, yes.”
“So I’m a target? This house is a target?”
“More than likely, baby girl. We can explain it all, but right now, we have to go,” I tell her, but she pushes past me and through the door, running straight to the room beside hers.
“Ellie! Ellie, listen to me,” she calls out, and the blonde girl turns over, her eyes widened as she sees me, too.
“Carter, what is it?” She asks, and although we don’t have much time, I give her a few minutes to update her roommate, getting her out of the line of fire, too.
“Go home to your mom, Ellie. I’m so sorry that you got the shit end of the roommate stick, but I promise, you’ll be safe if you go and don’t look back, okay?” Carter says, wrapping her arms around the girl, not letting go until she gathers her emotions.
“Thank you, Carter. I mean, fuck you, but … you guys didn’t have to save me,” she says, looking at Jasper, Carter and I, the urgency too strong to conceal our identities or involvement.
“When it’s safe, Ellie, we’ll have a wine night. I promise.” Carter waves as we exit the room, taking one last look around to ensure nothing important has been forgotten.
“Well boys, take me home, I guess,” she smiles, looping her arms through ours, and I’m shocked at her willingness to leave with us, but ultimately relieved at the lack of fight she put up.
It’s been a long night, and if I can end it with Carter in my arms, it’ll atone for the sins we’ve committed.
I’ve never lived with a woman before, and I’ll say, it has its perks.
Everything smells better, we actually eat meals together, and of course, Massi and I fuck her into oblivion multiple times a day.
We’ve fallen into domesticated bliss, and surprisingly, our dynamic works.
More often than not, we’re sharing stories and laughing, this predicament giving us the time to get to know Carter better, on a more personal side.
For example, we’ve learned that she’s not a fan of movies, – preferring to watch TV shows – loves breakfast foods the most, and takes showers that are at least two hours long because of her hair routine.
Apparently, you don’t just step out of the water with curls like hers, it's called diffusing, and last night, she let me sit with her while she did the whole process from start to finish.
It was fascinating to see the amount of steps it takes to make her hair look the way it does, and I have a newfound appreciation for her luscious curls.
Jasper still pushes her buttons, and she does it right back at him, but he’s been attentive to her needs, too.
He’s always making sure the coffee pot is programmed, that she has snacks packed in her bag, and took the time to teach her some technique about cleaning knives, which they butted heads about the entire time.
When my mind wanders, I like to think that we needed each other, like all the pieces we were each missing worked to form one perfect puzzle, and if one of us weren’t here, it’d be incomplete.
“Jasper! That is not friendly competition!” I hear Carter yell, which happens frequently when I leave those two alone, their bickering never faltering no matter how close they get.
“No take backsies, my pretty little temptress, now take it off,” he says just as I walk into Massi’s room, a heated battle of Uno happening in the middle of his bed.
Carter is stripped down to only a pair of panties, her perky tits on display as her nipples slowly harden from the cold.
In contrast, Massi is shirtless, the rest of his lower half fully clothed, and he’s grinning from ear to ear, probably stacking the deck so he wins every hand, as if it’d be impossible to get her naked.
“Room for one more?” I ask, and both of them look in my direction as I cross the floor, handing Carter a lemon water and sitting beside her on the bed.
“Always, but you shuffle. This fucker is cheating.” She narrows her eyes at Massi, but his shit-eating grin is on full display, confirming Carter’s suspicions.
“Uno is a game of skill, Principessina, one you just don’t possess. It’s okay, we can’t all be good at everything,” he teases, and she flips him off, graciously waiting as I pass out the cards.
Of course, I stacked the deck in her favor, giving Massi nothing but shit cards so she can exact her revenge. She’s already naked, might as well have a little fun while she attempts to get us on her level.
“Draw four, Carter,” Massi laughs, and she’s already got at least twelve cards in her hand, clearly not strategic in the slightest as her frustration begins to grow.
A few hands later, Massi drops his final card, forcing Carter out of her panties with a huff, never a sore loser, but definitely an irritated one.
“All or nothing, my little card shark? If you win, I’ll strip, and if I win … well, I’ll strip.” He winks, and she throws all the cards at him.
“You, Mr. Masseria, are a cheater. I don’t reward cheaters,” she breathes, snatching her panties from his hands and forcing them in my direction. “Tyson wins my attention.”
“Baby girl,” I groan as she climbs into my lap, tipping her head back as I immediately dip my tongue onto her nipple, sucking it into my mouth while she moans loudly in my ear.
“Oh, Carter, you look so perfect on top of him.” Massi slides behind her, reaching around and rubbing her thighs, his fingers teasing around her clit while she succumbs to the pleasure we can give her with the most minimal moves.
Goosebumps trail along her body, and she pulls my lips to hers, hungrily kissing me as her tongue tangles with mine, and Massi ravages her neck, causing her to grind her hips on my crotch.
Just as we get into the height of her pleasure a long bang rings out, accompanied by what can only be described as an earthquake, the walls and floors shaking while we all freeze in place.
“Ty,” Massi says, and I don’t hesitate, lifting Carter off my lap and placing her back on the bed.
“Stay here, baby girl,” I warn, but before I can move, gun shots ring out, forcing us all to crouch down while we search for the source.
Without hesitation, we all scramble to find our clothes, and Carter reaches for her knife, armed and ready, but Massi shakes his head, not even allowing her to speak.
“Not a fucking chance, Carter. You’re staying in the safe room.”
“Not a fucking chance, Jasper. Give me a gun.” She pulls a pair of my sweats on, accompanied by Massi’s t-shirt, her arms folding across her chest while she waits for him to speak.
“Do you even know how to shoot?” He challenges, and in a split second she charges across the room, snatching the pistol from his hand, cocking it, checking the bullets, and removing the safety, all while keeping her eyes on his.
“Do bears shit in the woods? I’ll hang onto this one,” she says, turning to me for approval while I load bullets into my pockets, snatching the shotgun from Massi’s closet and draping the strap across my body.
“I’ll take her with me down the east hallway, you go west?” I propose, and he nods, taking his favorite AR from the wall, using two fingers to point us toward the door, while I keep Carter’s back fully covered.
“Straight to the safe room,Tyson. Carter, I’m so fucking serious, do not go rogue,” he urges, the gunshots getting closer as they cleared the first floor, and are moving to the second.
“Be careful, Jasper,” she whispers as he turns his back, his body tensing with her words, but he forges on, opening the door and immediately dodging to the left, while we follow the corridor to the right side.
Eventually, these halls meet in the middle, but the safe room is closer from this point, so I let Carter lead, keeping eyes everywhere as we move slowly, checking every single place a hostile could be hiding.
In the distance, the shots grow louder, meaning that they’ve reached our floor, and Massi is holding them off for us.
“Run, Carter. After this corner it’s the third door on the left, and it needs my fingerprint to open, okay?” I say into her ear, and she nods, keeping her eyes forward while we move as one.
Tapping her shoulder once, I let her know to go, and we both break out into a full sprint as the door comes into sight, a few steps left before she ducks down, allowing me to open the door.
It takes a few seconds to register my print, and just as the metal swings open, Massi rounds the corner, shots ringing out behind him as he screams for us to go inside.
Once I breach the metal doors, I reach for Carter, attempting to drag her inside, but she stays firmly in place, waiting a few beats before standing, her aim pointed at the corner.
“Jasper, get down!” She screams, four calculated shots immediately ringing out as Massi’s body hits the floor, followed by the thud of two bodies slumping to the ground.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Carter.” We both say at the same time, Massi army crawling as I drag her by the belly into the room, effectively sealing it shut behind us once we’re all protected.
“You just saved my life,” Massi says softly, his eyes absolutely deranged with adrenaline, lust, and something on the borderline of adoration, possibly even love.
Whatever it is between them, I catch my breath, switching on the cameras and watching as three men dressed like mercenaries sweep our rooms, clearing out Massi’s stash of guns in the process.
I’m seeing red, but a shriek pierces my ears, practically sending shockwaves through me, and when I look at Carter, she has blood stained tears rolling down her cheeks.
Everything is moving in slow motion as I try to listen to her pleas, to help her fix the problem, but I’m frozen in place, utterly useless as I slide to the floor with my head in my hands.
This seems like another one of my twisted dream sequences, but I can feel everything happening around me, and it isn’t going away no matter how many times I try to wake up.
Just like the first time, I’m forced to sit on the sidelines and watch as my worst fears play out in front of me.