24. Parker
PARKER
I spun the delicate ring around my finger before pocketing it. This time, Amorette was going to accept it. She had spurned my first gift because she didn’t want any part of my stolen goods. Irritation still sat in my stomach, remembering how she’d pushed it back to me like it was dirty.
That was fine. She could keep that line in the sand, for now. She’d come around.
Look how far she’d already come, whether she realized it or not.
Our sweet little love had gone from starch white morals to the most delicate of dove grays. Well, maybe a bit murkier if you consider how she sliced up Manuel for Lafe.
But, this gift…It was both beautiful and lethal—an excellent little tool to add to her arsenal.
And bought with my own funds. Funds gained from my heists, but still.
Potato, potatoh. At some point, she’d have to give up her snobbery.
I’d just keep picking away at her until she was entirely worn down.
I wasn’t really the type to give jewelry. In fact, I’d never done it before. Except something about Little Love urged me to drape her in my finest possessions. She was a reflection of us, and I wanted everyone to see how fucking important she was.
Once it was safe to do so, of course.
I checked my reflection in the mirror. Not bad. Old jeans and a black t-shirt. Rod, my man who worked on the mainland, had done an exceptional job of sourcing clothes for tonight’s…party.
I said that loosely.
When Andre sent our plans for the evening via text, my eyes nearly popped out of my head.
I hadn’t realized Andre had any contacts within that group, the dirty bastard. He’d been networking when I wasn’t looking.
The Dirty Dogs were an actual gang in every sense of the word. Where the Institution was generally a corporation that ran illegal businesses with a side of torture and death, the Dirty Dogs were a gang first. They were all about the life, and the business aspect was secondary.
Walking into their place was going to be interesting.
I’d never really had any dealings with them, and with good reason. They viewed blood relations as law. The idea that Vicente had spare kids to use as disposable tools and weapons were foreign to them.
And extremely dangerous for us. I hoped big brother knew what he was doing.
I pulled the ring out one more time. It was gorgeous, with a woven titanium band that was wrapped in a knot.
No jewel in this one, just a nice little catch under the knot that shot out a half-inch needle.
Not great for self-defense in the typical sense, but the fast-acting poison coating the needle would do the trick if someone tried to take Little Love again.
Still, that wouldn’t happen. We’d make sure of it.
I whistled a merry tune as I stepped out into the hall. Making the rounds, I pounded on everyone’s door. “Time to go, you fuckers!”
Grey was the first to open his door. “Not yet.”
“What do you mean, not yet?” I asked as Lafe cracked his.
“I need a few more minutes. There’s an issue at one of the warehouses,” Lafe rushed out, then slammed it shut.
Turning back to Grey, I repeated my question. “What do you mean, not yet?”
“Because he was waiting on me.” Doc appeared at the top of the stairs with a soft grin highlighting his missing teeth. He’d always had a few gone, but now he had a checkerboard for a mouth.
The rest of him didn’t look any better. He had lost weight and had gained more wrinkles and a few scars. But I ignored all of that. Doc was the only one allowed to show any compassion to anyone in this business. From us, it would be an insult.
“And pray tell, Doc, what brings you here?” I snuck a glance at Grey. He was getting Little Love a tracker. I hadn’t doubted he would try it, but I also hadn’t expected it so soon. I guess nothing should surprise me regarding the lengths Grey would go to to keep her.
Grey could deliver this particular message. He and Little Love fucked like rabbits while I was left begging for scraps. Nope, I didn’t think I would participate this time. I would be a spectator, however.
“We have about thirty minutes before I need to be on my way to my next appointment. You caught me just in time, my boy.” He nodded at Grey. “I’m glad to see you all alive and kicking. Shame your father keeps striking at you. You need to work with Matías. He can help.”
I smirked at his audacity, and Grey watched him without any response. I had to say, I thought Little Love would change him more, but it looked like he would always be a quiet asshole around others.
“Go ahead, dear brother. Lead the way.” I swept a hand toward Andre’s door, grinning from ear to ear. Only because I wanted to increase my chances of sliding between her creamy white thighs, I wouldn’t miss this for the world.
Since we had to flee the island, my brothers and Little Love, if I was being honest, were all in a slump. But me? Yes, I was fucking incensed that Jorge’s little sister decided she was in a position to make any kind of decisions that affected the rest of us.
Nevertheless… Tonight, we were moving toward the eventual demise of our psychopathic father, and I couldn’t be happier. Add in that I was going to woo Little Love into my arms; life was looking up.
Grey pushed away from his door and knocked on Andre’s.
When no one answered, he opened the door and some very delightful squeals and rustling hit my ears.
As soon as Grey stepped out of the way, I was lucky enough to see Little Love’s bare ass dive from Andre’s lap to the other side of the bed, where she promptly wrapped herself up in the sheet.
Andre glared down at his wet dick as it bounced against his stomach, as if it offended him. Then he looked at us and sighed, grabbing the edge of the blanket to cover his lap.
God, I loved the way our dynamics were playing out. Catching her fucking my brothers was starting to be my new favorite past-time. There were so many opportunities.
I smiled as I walked in, leaning against the wall, crossing my arms, and settling in for the show.
Groaning, Andre dropped his head back against the plush headboard, an unusually thoughtful touch in guest rooms I was certain Matías had never used.
“Right now? Seriously, Grey?”
“What’s going on?” Little Love’s face was a mask of confusion, annoyance, and growing concern as she watched Doc place his bag on the end of the bed and start sorting through it.
“Hello, dear.” He glanced up with what was probably his signature calming expression. I couldn’t tell from here, although Little Love did relax slightly. “I was called in to inject a tracker—”
“What the fuck?” she yelled as her face and chest mottled with color. “You’re not putting a tracker on me.”
“Yes, we are.” Grey never moved, just leveled her with a determined stare. “Either you will take the tracker willingly, or we will hold you down. But you are not leaving this building without a device that means we can find you anywhere you are, no matter who takes you.”
She turned to Andre, but he also refused to back down. She stared at the bed; her fury was so intense it rolled through the room, prickling my skin like needles.
Little Love was thinking hard. Her chest rose and fell in solid swoops, no hyperventilating for her. But her fingers did tighten on the sheet. Doc waited patiently, giving her time to come to terms with what he was about to do.
Finally, she addressed Doc. “You’re going to do this? It doesn’t matter that I’m not giving my consent?”
As gently as he could, he reached out and patted her foot under the blankets.
“No. You see, these boys are the only hope an old man like me has of seeing a world without Vicente. He’s an evil cabrón, and I’d love nothing more than to dance and piss on his grave.
” I wanted to laugh, Doc was being funny, but it wasn’t the place.
“Whether you like it or not, you’re a liability.
” Her face reddened even more. Little Love certainly didn’t like that.
“This tracker will ensure these boys don’t lose their heads and mindlessly chase after you.
If it’s in my power to even the playing field between them, I’ll do it. And this, my dear, will help.”
She nodded and dropped her gaze again. When she looked back at him, her face had set into a stern resolve and a sharp cunning flashed in her eyes.
I wanted to fuck her so bad.
Soon. I knew she wanted me. She couldn’t hide the desire she had for all four of us. Andre was a bastard for sneaking into second place.
“Describe this tracker to me, and the process.” This no-nonsense voice was sexy as hell. This was probably the way she spoke to her colleagues, letting them know she was not to be fucked with and that she was in charge. She wasn’t, but it was cute she thought she had the power here.
“It’s a device smaller than a grain of rice. It’s coated in a biological material so that you won’t have any adverse effects from it. It will also connect to an encrypted app the brothers can access, so you’ll never be lost to them again.”
I bristled as a pleasure I hadn’t anticipated rushed through me.
Never.
That was so very permanent. I couldn’t tell the future, or if we had a very long one, but I liked the sound of that. She would be ours forever.
Grey must have had a similar reaction because his gaze became so intense, it was downright vulgar. That and the sudden tent in his pants.
“Does it hurt?”
“No more than the birth control implant and certainly less than the IUD,” he answered succinctly, putting all her fears at ease.
“Any side effects?”
“No.”
Little Love nodded and cast a glance between the three of us. “How many devices did you bring?”
Doc snapped up, apparently caught off-guard by her question.
It had shocked me too, and a slow smile spread over my face, stretching my cheeks as I put together exactly what she wanted. Andre was a little slow, even as I could see it dawning on him. Grey was a blank slate. His poker face was too good to know if he understood or not.