Chapter Twenty-five Daniel
Chapter Twenty-five
Daniel
The shipment is in two days, and although I don’t like to admit it, it makes me nervous. It’s fucking bullshit.
At the beginning, I didn’t even believe Volkov. I thought he was trying to fuck with me, like he may have been interested in starting a war.
And now, Jennifer and I are on our way to meet him and his wife to talk about that fucking shipment.
It pisses me off—not only that I have no idea who to suspect now that Julian is off the list, but also the possibility that nothing will happen on the shipment day.
Making a fucking plan just for nothing to happen? It’s wasted time. One of my biggest nightmares.
The past five days have been a mess. Between planning the shipment, keeping an eye on my men, and whatever the hell is going on with Jennifer, I haven’t had a second to think about myself.
We haven’t talked about what we are yet—not properly, at least. Maybe that’s for the better. Maybe it’s not. I can’t fucking tell.
I know she wanted to ask me five days ago, before our meeting, before we ended up in that heated situation. But I panicked.
It’s fucking embarrassing. Me—panicking over a woman. If my father ever heard that, he’d think Julian was right about me not being good enough.
The thought fucks with my head. All of this does. But who else is going to handle it? Nobody.
So, I have to handle all of this.
I’m the boss, after all. It’s my responsibility.
I grab my keys and head through the house, nodding at some of my men. They’re probably off to a deal—drugs, most likely. Or something else. I don’t have the capacity to care right now.
The only things on my mind are the shipment, Volkov, and Jennifer. The rest is taken care of. I made sure to tell Hayden about everything that could be important work before diving into all the work about the shipment.
It’s not just some shipment. It’s a huge one—for both the Volkov family and the Caruso family. We’ve done this shipment a few times before, and everything always seemed to go cleanly. But now, I’m questioning if this partnership is a good idea.
Being allies is one thing. Sharing a shipment is another. Especially when it’s still unclear to me who really killed Roy.
Sure, I could leave Roy behind. I could just deem it an accident, since nothing else has happened since then—but it’s only been, what? Three weeks?
Something like this can always happen again, and it could kill anyone. Hayden. Me. Fuck, that snitch maybe even has the power to kill Jennifer. Or, even worse, her daughter.
Men like Hayden and me are usually the ones targeted. But you never know what these men are up to. Most of these guys are into things like sex trafficking too, after all. A woman like Jennifer would be a dream for them.
She’d get them thousands of dollars. And her daughter?
These sick fucks would never stop at that.
They’d never protect her innocence, if it’d mean they could get money from her.
It pisses me off just like Julian does, who always wanted to include this shit in our business. Worst part, he doesn’t even act a little bit like the snitch.
He’s been doing his job well, never mentioning anything that seemed off, and all he does is tease me and Jennifer sometimes. But that’s literally it.
I can’t take teasing as a threat, can I? They’re meaningless words. That’s all.
He's just a member lower in rank who wants to provoke me in order to seem better than me.
My thoughts are interrupted just a few meters before I enter the garage. I don’t have to turn around to know who it is that’s sneaking up to me.
“You’re right on time, pretty,” I say as I open the door, waiting for her to enter. Jennifer smiles at me as she walks up and passes me.
“I tried to hurry up,” she laughs.
I grin, suddenly forgetting about everything that has been fucking with my mind. Although these last few days have been hard on me, whenever she’s with me, it gets better.
It’s like she’s a safe anchor I can hold onto. I barely know her, yet she gives me a feeling of home.
I feel guilty for not being able to give her an answer. What we are. What we should be in the future.
Friends with benefits? Colleagues with benefits? Strangers with benefits?
I don’t even know what to call us at this point. And I know it makes her feel unsure. I want to reassure her, tell her what this is, what to call it—but I have no fucking clue either.
I truly wish I did.
What’s important to focus on now is the task we’re working on today. She won’t be included much, but still—she’s going to be a huge help.
Not for planning shit, not for things I wouldn’t want to involve her in, but for me keeping my composure.
Because deep down, I know one wrong move can ruin my family forever. And it fucks with my brain.
I can barely sleep. I’m surprised my body is still functioning at this point.
“Which car are we taking today?” she asks suddenly. It catches me off guard. She never seemed interested in cars, it was never something she paid attention to.
Suppose it’s time to change that.
I grin. Until now, we’ve always taken one of the cars. But I haven’t shown her my real baby until now.
I know she’d judge me so hard if I called this vehicle my baby in front of her.
I can’t help it. It cost me a shit ton of money and looks beautiful.
The shit ton of money is considered my daily income nowadays, but I’m still proud of it. I got my first Harley when I first turned 18.
It was also when I first started to earn money from the work I did for my father.
This Harley is a newer one, but I don’t bother telling her that story. It’s either she’s not going to care or she’s going to forget about the story in a minute.
Though, maybe she’s different. Maybe she cares about the things I like.
A tingly feeling spreads in my chest, but I ignore it.
However, just the possibility of her showing interest in the things I like… It excites me.
I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I’d do anything to have her look at me with admiration in her eyes as I talk about my hobbies.
Not that I have many. Riding my Harley is my favorite, though.
“No car today,” I murmur, taking her hand into mine while I walk toward the vehicle she most likely won’t expect.
She sighs. “Please don’t tell me we’ll take a bicycle to stay undercover; this outfit is too pretty.”
A laugh escapes my throat. But the second I realize it, I shut my mouth and stare back at her with a serious expression. What the fuck was that?
When we enter the smaller garage, she looks at me, unimpressed.
“Please tell me you’re joking right now.”
“I’m not, why?”
“We’re taking a bike. Really?”
“That’s not just a bike. It’s a Harley Heritage Classic. Do you know how expensive that thing is?”
She stares back at me, still unimpressed, but with a subtle smirk on her lips.
“Oh. You’re one of those guys. Sexy.”
I scoff. “You think I’m sexy, huh?”
“I think you know very well what I think of you,” she murmurs, walking over to my Harley with an unsure expression. “Is that even safe to ride?”
She’s adorable. But we’re kind of late. I have to remind myself of that.
“Should be,” I grin. “Now, put that leather jacket on. Your outfit truly looks gorgeous, but I need you to wear at least some protection.”
“I’m not gonna wear a normal jeans when we take a bike.”
“Why not? Are you scared, pretty?” I tease her.
Jennifer looks at me with a challenging expression. Oh, I know that look.
“I’m not scared. You think I am?”
Immediately, she gets onto the passenger seat and grins. “I’d never be scared.”
Impressed, I nod. “Good. But I still need you to wear this jacket, and the helmet,” I say, taking a helmet off a hook and handing it to her. “I’m the one who’s worried about your safety here.”
I know she doesn’t want me to worry, but I see a faint blush on her cheeks as she puts the helmet on. God, I’ve never seen a sexier woman before. I could fuck her right here, right now.
I honestly wish I could, but time is running out.
Quickly, I get on my Harley in front of her. A glance at my wristwatch tells me that if I were the type of good guy who never crossed speed limits and cared about traffic laws, we’d be so fucking late.
Good thing I’m not a good guy.
“Hold on tight,” I remind her as the engine roars to life.
I hear her deep sigh as she bends down, her arms slowly wrapping around my body.
“Tighter, baby.”
She grips me harder, making me smirk. “Be a good girl for me and hold on, just like that. We’re gonna have to go over the speed limit to make it in time.”
I can tell she’s rolling her eyes without even having to look at her. She’s pretty predictable. “Perfect,” she mumbles.
Another laugh escapes me. “It’ll be fun, I promise.”
“I’ll remind you of your words once we’re in the hospital.”
“Come on. I know you love holding me this tight,” I murmur over the engine’s hum, revving it just to tease her.
“I’m holding on tight because I don’t trust your driving,” she shoots back, her voice laced with amusement.
I chuckle lowly, twisting the throttle. The Harley surges forward, and we’re off. The wind cuts against my face, but her warmth pressed against my back keeps me grounded.
She’s tense at first—probably thinking I’ll pull some reckless stunt just to mess with her. Maybe I thought about it. But I don’t. I need her to trust me, after all.
As we weave through the streets, I feel her grip shift. What starts with cautious holding onto my body turns into something else, something softer, more trusting.
Her fingers curl into the fabric of my jacket, and every time I lean into a turn, she follows, her body melding perfectly against mine.
It shouldn’t distract me. But it does.
Fuck, she always distracts me just by existing.
Chicago blurs past us, streetlights flickering in the dusk, cars honking faintly in the distance—but all I’m aware of is her.
Her perfume lingers in the air between us, that faint floral scent I can’t get enough of. It mixes with the faint smell of leather and gasoline, creating something entirely addictive.
I pick up speed on the empty stretch of road, and she lets out a startled laugh, holding me even tighter.
“Daniel! Slow down, you maniac!”
“Trust me,” I call back, a grin tugging at my lips.
“I don’t know if I just don’t trust you or if I’m too scared of letting go,” she says, half-joking. But there’s something in her tone that makes my grip on the handlebars tighten.
“Then don’t let go,” I murmur under my breath, barely audible over the engine’s growl.
I don’t know if she hears me, but her arms tighten around my body just a little more.
For a few minutes, the rest of the world doesn’t exist. No shipments, no Volkov, no fucking snitch ruining my life and my family. It’s just me, her, and the open road.
Eventually, I slow down as we near the meeting point. The Harley’s rumble softens just before I feel Jennifer shift behind me.
“Okay,” she says softly, her voice barely a whisper. “That wasn’t as bad as I thought.”
I smirk, parking the bike and shutting off the engine. “Told you, pretty.”
She slides off first, pulling the helmet off and shaking her hair free. Fuck. She’s too beautiful for my sanity. Too hot to not give me the urge to fall for temptation.
I get off right after her, my eyes never leaving hers.
“Admit it,” I murmur, leaning in just enough to make her breath hitch. “You liked being so close to me.
She raises an eyebrow. “I liked not dying, for sure.” I chuckle, stepping back. “You’re safe with me, pretty. Always. You should know it by now, hm?.”
She doesn’t respond right away. But as we head towards the entrance of Volkvos mansion, I swear I hear her whispering faintly, “I know.”