Chapter 24
Leilani
Koby’s been inexplicably agitated for two days, and his sour mood is cumulating tonight.
He came back from running errands for Carter half an hour ago, a stormy cloud with an unreadable expression. He locked himself in the bathroom without a word. Not even a glance my way.
I sit on the couch, legs curled under my butt, an open book beside me. I tried reading to divert my attention from what’s coming, but I’m failing. My gut’s twisting with nerves, and I keep toying with my hair, wondering how the evening will go down.
I’m giving him space, telling myself that whatever’s chewing him up has nothing to do with me, but it’s hard. Everything Koby feels spills over onto me. His moods aren’t his alone, they move through the apartment like weather, and right now it’s tennis-ball-sized hail.
Steam curls out into the hallway once he opens the bathroom door, a masculine scent breaching every room. Heat blooms low in my belly even as my chest stays knotted with nerves.
He stalks into his bedroom, and wardrobe doors slam. Then drawers. Then something else.
I fidget, talking myself out of following him. He obviously needs space. He made that quite clear.
Too bad all I want is proximity.
It’s ten minutes before he joins me, dressed all in black. His damp hair falls over his forehead, and equally dark eyes stare me down as he leans in the doorway.
“You look pretty,” he says, taking me in inch by inch. He sounds calm on the surface, but I know him too well to be fooled. He’s agitated. “How was your day?”
“Oh, just peachy.” I stand, my arms crossed over my chest, that temper I’ve been keeping in check for days finally rearing its ugly head. “I particularly loved being alone, waiting here for you, then watching you walk past like I’m invisible.”
His cologne snakes between us, driving me crazy. I fucking hate how good he smells. Like malt liquor and heat, skin, violence, and something I want too much. I love it... but I hate that it’s dissolving my anger.
It makes me furious, makes me want to claw at him until I forget why. I take a step forward, unsure whether I’ll slap him or kiss him.
I refused all his offers to ease my period cramps with his magic fingers the last few days. I wouldn’t, had he used my mouth to get off after that amazing orgasm in the bath, but he didn’t, so I said no every time.
We kissed, we cuddled, and his big hands roaming my body drove me wild... but we haven’t fucked all week, and I’m apparently addicted to his cock because surviving those days was hard.
“I’m sorry,” he finally says. “I’m just... worried, okay? I was miles away.”
“That doesn’t excuse you. And why are you worried? It was Noretto’s idea to side with Carter. He won’t try anything.”
Koby comes closer, grasps my waist, and leans in, taking my mouth in a long, slow kiss that leaves me breathless, and slick between my thighs.
“It’s you I’m worried about.” He drops his forehead to mine.
Oh...
Damnit, how does he always know what to say?
I wrap my arms around his neck, pecking his nose. “I’ll be at Carter’s with three bodyguards and the girls. I’ll be okay.”
He exhales a deep, minty breath, then seals my lips with another kiss, but I pull back quickly.
“I’m already turned on, Koby. Don’t make it worse.”
“I can make it better.” His lips move to the crook of my neck and his open-mouthed kisses make my toes curl, melting anger into raw want. “We have time.”
“No. We have ten minutes. That’s not enough.”
He nips my earlobe, already lifting me into his arms. “That’s plenty. I only need three to get you off.”
“I said no.” I smack the back of his head. “I don’t want a quickie. I’ve been thinking about you inside me every single day for the last week and I want it to last.”
His jaw flexes, dark eyes dragging over my face before he sets me down like the good boy he is.
“Fine, but I want you wet for me all evening. Think about me. About everything you want me to do.”
“I’m hanging out with the girls for the first time tonight, and you want me to ignore them and imagine your mouth on me?”
“That’s what we’re starting with? Good choice.”
He takes my hand, lacing our fingers, and leads me to the hallway where a pair of brand-new black heels waits.
They match my dress.
When Koby asked what I’d wear to the girls’ night, my first thought was black.
Anton forced me into cute pastel colors, so I need something different.
The dress is short, figure-hugging but still elegant, and judging by how Koby’s eyes burn when I bend down to slip on the heels, the hem riding high on my thighs, he approves.
We exit the apartment, and I pause, spotting a tall man waiting outside. His gaze flicks over me as he inclines his head.
“That’s Apollo,” Koby supplies, his hand urging me forward by the small of my back. “He’ll be looking after you tonight.”
“Oh, okay...” I give him a small wave, watching him move to fetch the elevator.
I want to ask why he’s here but bite my tongue.
We take the elevator straight down to the underground parking lot, and the mystery of Apollo’s presence is solved when he opens the back door of a huge SUV. I slide in first, my back ramrod straight when I spot two people already inside.
Broadway sits sprawled across the opposite seat, arm slung over the shoulders of a very pregnant girl.
“Hey,” I greet, shifting to make room for Koby. “You must be Violet. I’m Leilani.”
Violet smiles, her face softening. “You’ve kept us waiting a while. We’ve been dying to meet you.”
“Sorry.” I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “I needed some time to adjust to... normality.”
“Normality?” Broadway smirks. “Nothing’s normal when Koby’s around. I’m surprised you didn’t run away screaming.”
Violet slaps his wrist. “Be nice.”
He just kisses her head in reply. “So, what’s the plan tonight? What did Hailey settle on?”
“As far as I’m aware, we’re having drinks,” I supply.
“It’s not that easy with Hailey,” Violet cuts in. “She loves hosting and makes entertainment her mission. We get massages, or facials, or mani-pedis. We play board games, taste wines, or bake cookies. It’s never just drinking and talking.”
“And we don’t know what’s happening tonight?” I look to Koby for confirmation.
He helpfully shakes his head. “Whatever it is, you’ll enjoy it.”
We arrive ten minutes later, and Koby helps me out of the car, then laces our fingers, taking me inside Carter’s mansion.
A pleasant warmth fills me up because I didn’t think he’d touch me in front of the others. I thought he’d keep our quickly escalating but very fresh relationship to himself.
“Hey!” Hailey beams, eyes flicking to Koby’s hand wrapped around mine. Her smile widens and she pulls me into a tight embrace. “I’m glad you’re finally joining us.”
For a beat too long, I can’t move. I remember precisely the last time someone hugged me like this, and it was Aalyiah. I blink back tears, wrapping my arms around Hailey.
“Sorry it took so long.”
She inches away and Koby immediately pulls me against him.
“Better late than never.”
Behind her, Carter enters the room. He’s dressed like always, black slacks, white shirt, and a black waistcoat.
It’s been his signature look for as long as I remember.
I can count on the fingers of one hand how many times I’ve seen him wear something more casual.
He adjusts the cuffs, raking his eyes across the living room as if doing a quick headcount.
I wait for him to clock Koby’s hand holding mine, but he glosses over the fact as if he expected this to happen.
From what I’ve been told, both Violet and Bianca were under Broadway’s and Ryder’s roofs in a similar situation to mine. They all ended up pairing off, so maybe that’s why Carter’s not surprised at me and Koby.
Nobody’s surprised, really...
I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.
“We’re leaving,” Carter says, crossing the room to stamp a kiss on Hailey’s forehead.
Ryder follows, lips brushing Bianca’s temple, and Koby dips his head to kiss me quickly.
“Apollo, I want you outside with Corvin,” Carter continues. “Arthur, you take the back, Broadway—”
“I know. I’m here, keeping the girls sober.”
Hailey chuckles. “You can try.”
“We shouldn’t be long,” Koby whispers in my ear. “You’re perfectly safe here.”
“I know. I’m not worried about me.”
He presses his lips to my temple, voice barely audible. “Don’t worry about me. I promised you an eventful night, and I always keep my promises.”
With one last peck on my cheekbone, he follows Ryder and Carter out, their elegant shoes clicking along the marble corridor. The heaviness lifts from the atmosphere instantly.
“Okay!” Hailey claps, her smile turning mischievous as her gaze targets me. “I thought we could do things differently tonight and focus on getting to know you. So, we’ll drink and you’ll tell us all about yourself and how good Koby is in bed.”
My eyes widen, heat crawling up my neck, and the girls chuckle when Broadway groans, dragging a hand down his face.
“Can you save that for when I’m not here?” he asks.
“No can do,” Bianca sing-songs, hooking her elbow with mine. “We want to know everything!”
She keeps tugging until my hip bumps against the polished bar on the other side of the room. Violet’s already there, handling a shaker with practiced ease. Hailey flanks my other side and slides onto a stool.
Behind us, Broadway folds into an armchair, phone in hand, eyes flicking up every few seconds.
“Play along,” Bianca whispers. “We need him to leave.”
I blink at her, slow to catch up. “Why?”
Her lips barely move as she explains. “We’re trying to piece together what they’re planning for Grey. We all eavesdrop a bit. Gross him out, and he’ll give us space.”
She gives me a tiny nod and Hailey smirks into her glass like they’ve played this game before.
“Pick your poison!” Violet says, gesturing toward the bottles lining the shelves behind her. “And make it strong if you’re shy, because we want details, girl. All the spicy little details.”
“I’m far from shy, trust me.” I grin at them because I have just the thing that’ll have Broadway running out of here.
She smiles, lifting a bottle of rum. “I think you ought to start with our signature drink, Mojito.”
“Sounds good.” I straighten my spine. “So? What do you want to know?”
“Is he good?” Violet starts.
“Is he big?” Hailey piles on.
“Does he last long?” Bianca chimes in with a laugh.
“You’re seriously going to talk about this when I’m right here?” Broadway asks. “I don’t need to know. I don’t fucking care how big Koby’s dick is.”
“Um...” Violet arches an eyebrow. “I seem to remember you telling us he showed you. This is hardly brand-new information. It’s a girl’s night. Close your ears, babe.”
Bianca jabs me in the side with her elbow. “Spill. How big?”
I take a steady sip of the mojito Violet’s slid my way, then flip my hair over one shoulder. I’m really not a shy girl, but what I’m about to say is very personal.
“Big. Nine... maybe ten inches.”
Hailey and Bianca squeal, leaning closer, almost drowning out Broadway’s exaggerated groan.
“But... I think his fingers are best,” I add, leading the conversation in the right direction.
Bianca fans herself dramatically. “Tell us more.”
A blush climbs my neck, burning hot, but I push through. Under any other circumstances I wouldn’t have mentioned it, but the possibility of finding out what the guys are planning with Grey, how close they are to making him disappear, how close I am to true freedom is too tempting.
Koby doesn’t tell me anything. Not when he comes home bloodied, not when he comes in from Scarlett at three in the morning, unstable on his legs, not when I point-blank ask how far along with the plan they are.
He’s protecting me, and I appreciate it, but I’ve been stuck in limbo for years, never trusted to know anything, always shielded, and I’m over it.
“I was on my period all week,” I say casually. “So no sex, but Koby doesn’t mind dipping his fingers in the red sea.”
“Jesus fuck,” Broadway snaps, darting to his feet. “I’m done. I’ll be out front. Just shout if you need anything, alright?”
The door bangs shut behind him, and Bianca raises her hand for a high-five.
“That was pro-level mind-fuckery.”
I grin into my glass. “You said, ‘gross him out’.”
“He’ll be traumatized for weeks.”
“Or...” Bianca points her finger at Violet, “...it’ll stir his competitive side, and as soon as that baby’s out, he’ll try it with you.”
“I wouldn’t mind trying. I hear orgasms help with cramps.”
They look at me for confirmation.
“They really do.”
Hailey sips her drink with a little clink, leaning over the bar. The shift invites the rest of us in, shoulders bumping, heads tilted close.
“Alright,” she says, her voice dropping into something more conspiratorial. “Carter doesn’t have a concrete plan yet. He’s been vetting allies, screening Octavius’s trying to figure out who might flip. But so far? It looks like an all-out war is unavoidable.”
The humor drains out of me in a flash.
“Yeah, I overhead Ryder on the phone the other day,” Bianca adds. “Don’t know who he was talking to, but there’s already an evacuation strategy. From what I gather, they’ll move us to a safe house straight after the Chicago meeting.”
“Chicago?” I question.
Violet nods, both hands resting on the swell of her belly. “With Dante Carrow. Carter was his right-hand before Ohio.”
I know that much. Aalyiah dragged me to Chicago not long after Carter moved there. She missed him and didn’t want to go alone when he invited her over for a weekend.
That’s when I met Dante. Just once, but once was plenty. The man’s quiet intensity was terrifying.
I was still a snotty teen too young to understand the full implications of it, but not too young to notice how different he was from other Mafioso. Dante was quiet. Composed. Dangerous in a way that was absolute.
“You think Dante will approve?” Bianca asks Hailey. “That he’ll help if things get heated?”
“I think so. He and Carter are close, they’re not just allies, they’re friends. And Dante’s wife adores Carter.”
“I don’t know...” I grab my drink, twirling the glass across the counter. “Octavius is well connected. He used Anton as his recruiter... and Anton didn’t negotiate. He earned allegiance with brute force. People serve Octavius out of fear, not loyalty.”
Violet caresses her belly absently, her smile brittle.
“The problem is, everyone wants to see Dante Carrow fall, so if a war starts between Octavius and Carter, most will side with Octavius. Not out of loyalty, but for a chance to take down the king. Everyone knows Dante won’t stay neutral if Carter’s life’s threatened. He owes him for saving Layla.”
“And if Dante joins in...” A chill runs down my spine, “...everyone else will.”
Violet’s eyes glisten with fresh tears. “A war always means casualties...”
Bianca grabs her hand, squeezing hard. “Broadway’s a tough cookie. They all are. They’ll be okay, Violet. Don’t worry.”