Chapter 32 #2
“Language,” Boone warns, walking into the living room, and I can’t stop the giggle that escapes. Boone has the mouth of a sailor, and he’s fussing at the twins for cussing? He gives me a fake glare. “Something funny, Lessie?”
“Nope,” I answer, popping the ‘P’. “Nothing fucking funny at all,” I say because I can’t help myself.
Lucas and Landon crack up while Boone narrows his eyes at me. “Still a smartass, I see.”
“I learned from the best,” I say with a grin. I was raised primarily around men, and every single one of them was smart-asses.
“What did you do to get that car? Because I need to know all the secrets to have one of those bad motherfuc…” Lucas trails off, shooting a look at Boone. “Mofos in my driveway.” It spoke to the level of respect they already have for G and Boone that he would listen to the language warning.
“I can’t give my secrets away,” I say and nudge Leo with my elbow. “Can I?”
Leo shakes his head. “If she told you, she would have to kill you.”
Landon’s mouth drops open. “For real?” I shrug as an answer, enjoying messing with them. “Damn.”
“Are you Mafia or something?” Lucas asks with a laugh, fist-bumping his twin again.
Leo hides a laugh with a cough, and I hear Boone and G chuckle. If they only knew how right they are.
“You are, aren’t you?” Landon says, taking in the faces in the room. “That’s so freaking cool!”
“Did you see the guys she had with her? Man, they screamed Mafia,” Lucas says, agreeing with Landon.
“What exactly screams Mafia?” Leo asks with a laugh.
“The guys she had with her. Duh,” Lucas laughs and then focuses on Leo. “Wait! You were there!”
Landon starts bouncing on the couch, animated. It’s like looking at Gage. “I bet the big dude’s the leader. Did you see his freaking arms?”
“Nah!” Lucas disagrees. “It’s the one who walked up behind us.”
Leo and I exchange a look; I have to try so hard not to start laughing.
“You don’t know how wrong you are,” Gerald says with a chuckle.
“Alright, G,” I say, standing up and pulling Leo to his feet. “We have to head out. If you need anything, call.”
“Oh, come on,” Lucas whines. “You can’t leave us hanging like that.”
I shake my head and walk toward the front door with them hot on my heels. I slide my feet into my shoes and then give my hugs to Gerald and Boone.
“See ya, Boss,” Boone says with a grin, shutting the door behind us.
“No way!” I hear one of the boys exclaim. “She’s the boss! That’s so fucking cool.”
“You hear that, Baby?” Leo says with a laugh, slinging his arm around my shoulder. “You’re cool.”
When Leo and I return to the house, Gage, Holden, Dex, and Ryder are sitting in the living room with grim faces.
“What’s going on?” I ask, sitting beside Gage on the couch, Leo on my other side. He pulls me to his side, kissing me on the forehead.
“We have problems,” Ryder says, slamming a folder down on the coffee table.
I pick up the folder and flip it open, and a feeling of doom settles over me.
It’s pictures of everything we’ve done over the past few days.
Every shot of the guys has their faces scratched out.
I flip through them, and that doom feeling intensifies.
There’s a picture of Leo pulling the trigger on that guy yesterday, me meeting Zane at the docks, a shot of us walking into Xander’s garage and us leaving in Xander’s car, one of me pulling the trigger ending Xander’s life, and then Leo, Gage, and I at the cabin.
Leo’s forehead is against mine, Gage’s head is thrown back in pure ecstasy, and you can see the bliss all over my face.
If it weren’t so creepy someone else took these without my permission, they would be hot.
The last one is of just me, and it looks like I am looking directly at the camera, the word ‘mine’ scrawled across it in red.
“How the fuck did they get these, and how did you get them?” I ask, handing it to Leo. Some of the pictures look like they’re close-ups, and others looked like they were taken with a long-distance lens. The one of Leo pulling the trigger looks like it’s taken off a street camera.
“I ran to the store to grab a few things,” Gage says. “They were plastered all over my car when I came outside.”
“I ran every camera I could find from where Dex found his and now Gage. Everything’s been wiped. I’m trying to track it now, but I can’t find anything,” Holden says, running his hand through his curly hair nervously. Holden will take this personally if he can’t find out who is doing this.
A pale-looking Leo lays the folder down, and Ryder picks it back up. Ryder pulls out the last picture and lays it on the table. “This is serious now. Do you get it? Whoever this is, is claiming you.” He stabs his finger at the picture with ‘mine’ written on it. “They think you’re theirs.”
“I never said it wasn’t serious,” I reply. Maybe I didn’t take it as seriously as I should have, but I understood. “My life can’t stop because of this, though.”
“Goddamnit, Les,” Dex says hotly. “Two of those pictures implicate you and Leo in two different murders.”
“I’m aware,” I say evenly. “What do you expect me to do?”
“How about not going alone to meet fucking Zane?” Ryder says through gritted teeth, tossing the picture of Zane and me on the table. I notice that Zane’s face isn’t scratched out; it’s just my guys.
“I already got shit for that, Ryder,” I tell him, sitting up on the couch. “I promised I wouldn’t.”
“No more going out without at least two of us,” Ryder orders, and I can feel my blood boil. “No more little fucking trips to your cabin or anywhere else this freak knows about.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You remember who you’re talking to right now?”
“Yes. A stubborn ass woman who thinks she’s untouchable,” Ryder says, standing up from the loveseat so fast it causes Holden’s eyes to widen. “My woman that I won’t let someone get their fucking hands on because she doesn’t want to listen to us.”
“I’m not yours to tell what to do, Ryder,” I reply, standing up. No way I’ll sit here and let him tower over me, even if he’s on the other side of the coffee table. “I can take care of my damn self.”
“You don’t even know when you’re being followed!” Ryder yells.
I snatch the pictures from the table and toss them at his chest. “Neither do you,” I hiss. They hit his chest and flutter to the floor; when they settle, the one on top is the one with one word. Mine. Ryder and I stand there in a staring stand-off, both breathing heavily.
“Okay,” Dex says, standing up from his chair. “Let’s talk about this calmly.”
“Fuck that,” I tell Dex, pissed the hell off. I jab my finger at Ryder. “We might be involved now, but I’m still the fucking boss.”
“You might be my boss on the streets, Il mio sole, but in here, you aren’t,” Ryder grits out. “My number one job is to fucking protect you. Let me do that. Let us do that.”
“He’s right, Pretty girl,” Gage says quietly.
“It’s just some pictures!” I say and throw my hands in the air. Do they think this freak will jump out of them and grab me?
“Very personal pictures, Baby,” Leo adds, and I whirl on him. He gives an apologetic shrug. “I agree with Ryder.” I look around the room, and all the guys are nodding, agreeing with him also.
Fuck this. I don’t need them dictating what I do.
I storm from the room and make it just past the kitchen when one of them grabs my arm, spinning me around.
I come face to chest with Ryder. I look up, and his eyes are entirely black, showing how pissed off he is.
Good. Because I’m fucking pissed too. I jerk my arm away, and his lips peel back from his teeth.
“You don’t get to walk away this time,” he snarls, stepping into my space. “I let you after your little tantrum about Leo, but this is bigger. This is about your fucking safety.”
“My little tantrum?” I ask, my voice calm. I’m anything but calm. “You could have gotten him killed.”
“I didn’t. Any one of us could die the moment we step out those doors.”
“Exactly! I’m not hiding in this house like some precious princess!” My voice is rising again, and I can’t seem to keep a lid on my temper.
“No one said you had to hide,” Ryder says, stepping up close. I take a step back. He advances until my back hits the wall beside the stairs. He presses closer until his body is pressed against mine, and I have to look up at him. “You would know if you shut your damn mouth and open your ears.”
That’s it.
I let my body deflate like I’m giving up the fight. As soon as I see him relax, pushing me further into the wall, I make my move.
I run my hands up his chest and shove him away, using the wall as a support.
He stumbles back, and I sweep my leg behind him, knocking him off his feet.
He hits the floor hard, and I’m on him. I wrap my hand around his throat, applying pressure while sitting on his stomach.
I see the guys running from the living room after hearing Ryder hit the floor but don’t even spare them a glance.
“You don’t talk to me like that,” I grit out.
His eyes glitter with defiance, and I know he’s fighting a war within himself. He can buck me off at any time, and he hasn’t made a move. He narrows his eyes. “I wouldn’t have to if you let us do our fucking job.”
I apply more pressure to his throat as a warning. “I tell you when to do your job, and I don’t need a babysitter.”
“Baby girl,” Dex says quietly. “You need to let go.” My head snaps up, and Dex raises his hands in a placating way, and I frown. It’s a typical tussle between Ryder and me. It happens all the time, so why the hell is he talking to me like I have a knife to Ryder’s throat and not my hand?
“Il mio sole,” Ryder says, and I look down at him.
He grabs my hips and shoves me down over his obvious erection.
He grinds his hips up, and I realize this exchange turned Ryder on.
I move my hand from crushing his windpipe to squeezing just below his jawbone, cutting off his air supply, testing a theory.
His eyes roll back in his head, and I swear he just bit off a moan.
I tilt my head to the side, temporarily distracted from my anger. “You like this, don’t you?” I squeeze tighter when he doesn’t answer, and this time he doesn’t try to bite back the moan. It comes from deep in his chest, and he grinds his hips up again while holding me over top of him.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” I hear Gage chuckle.
I lean down until my lips are hovering over his, my hand still on his throat, loose enough so he can get air. “Answer me,” I demand.
“Fuck,” he grits out. “Yes. Okay? Yes, I fucking like it.”
I lick across his top lip and pull back before he can kiss me.
I have to admit I like this too. Something about taking control of Ryder like this has my panties soaked.
Now isn’t the time, though. Ryder and I have some things to discuss, which don’t include him sinking his cock inside me.
“Bad boys don’t get fucked,” I tell him, grinding over his hard dick and then jumping to my feet, leaving him panting on the floor.
“They get to walk around with a hard cock while listening to me fuck someone else.”
With that parting shot, I march my ass to my room and slam the door.