Chapter 8 Sable
SABLE
When I wake up the next day, I’m floating on clouds.
My whole body feels stronger, sharper. I had worried that having sex with Ryker would somehow weaken me. But it did the opposite.
It ignited something inside me I never knew was there.
Just thinking back to our time in his car gets my blood flowing. I have to pull the blankets back to keep myself from overheating.
I reach down between my legs and feel the soreness left over from when he took me.
My first time…
It didn’t hurt like I thought it would. In fact, it was just a tiny little sharpness—like the sting of a pin prick—that was instantly brushed away by the flood of pleasure.
And then of course there was the stretch.
My God. Ryker is enormous. And as I get out of bed, I can feel something in my core. Is it a longing? It’s almost like an empty feeling that’s completely new to me.
I shower and blow dry my hair, then slide into a purple dress with a slit up the side. It hugs my body just right but also allows for mobility.
The house is starting to feel less foreign to me—the angles and decorations more familiar.
I hear Mom and Dominic in his office and march right in like I own the place.
“What’s going on?” I ask. Sounds like they’re discussing a territory dispute, which is crazy. Who would dare go against the Vale-Noir family now?
“Nothing important,” Dominic replies, drawing a glance from Mother.
“A small crew has been dealing in our territory,” she replies. “Dominic and I have been discussing how to deal with them.”
“I’ll handle it,” I reply quickly. “Where are they and how many?”
Dominic gives Mom a wary glance, but she looks at me with the same eyes she gave me the first time I learned how to fire a gun.
I see a couple Vale men looking at each other from the corner, clearly not sure about my offer. A couple of fists to the face would change their opinions.
“Some locals who think they’re tough guys,” my mom says.
Dominic reaches for a cigar. “I was actually going to have Ryker handle it—"
“I’ve got it,” I reply, standing up. “Just give me an address.”
Mom allows herself to smile, and I go warm inside. She reaches for a pen and scribbles something on a strip of paper, then hands it to me.
“Great. I’ll put the fear of Noir into them.”
I can hear Mom laughing as I exit the room. Some of the boys are out back on the patio smoking. I quickly round them up and head to the trucks. Luca, probably my toughest man, hands me a pistol.
“Should we expect much resistance?” he asks, pulling away from the manor.
“Doubt it,” I reply, shaking my head as I check the slide on my gun. “From what my mom says, they’ll probably run as soon as they see us.”
The address Mom gave me turns out to be a corner bar in the middle of a slum neighborhood. A few guys are standing outside when we pull up—three black SUVs.
“Wait here,” I tell Luca.
“Miss—” he tries to protest, but I hop out and walk straight up to the leader, a cocky looking guy with blond hair like a frat boy. He’s right in the middle of a hand-to-hand, selling marijuana to a group of teenage girls.
To my surprise, he looks me up and down like I’m just some chick at the party he’s trying to pick up.
“Well, what are you looking for, sweetheart?”
I shut him up by driving my knuckles into his nose. He sprawls backwards, and his men reach for their weapons, but I draw my gun faster than Charlize Theron in Atomic Blonde.
“Give me a reason,” I snarl through clenched teeth. Instantly, the men back off. Just like I thought.
“What the fuck?” the man on the ground cries out as blood fountains from his nose. “Girl, do you know who you’re messing with?”
“Do you?” I reply, cocking the hammer of my gun. “I’m Sable Noir.”
One of his men gasps and looks at me like I was the devil who just came up from hell.
“You know who I am?” All he can do is nod. “Good. Then why don’t you explain to your boss here what will happen if you guys aren’t gone by tonight? Can you do that for me?”
Now he’s shaking, but he still manages a second nod.
I de-cock the hammer but keep my gun in my hand as I get back in the car. Luca’s chuckling as I pull away, glancing in my rear-view as the boys help their fallen leader to his feet.
“Think that showed ‘em?” I smile.
“Oh, they’ll be gone before we get back to the house.”
When I get back, I see Ryker standing outside, arms crossed over his chest, looking absolutely furious.
The face-off with those clowns didn’t even get my blood pumping, but when I walk up to him, my whole body comes to life.
“And just where have you been?” he demands.
“What are you my father?” I reply, walking right past him and into the house.
He follows behind and waits until we’re alone in the corridor to grab me by the arm. I try to wrench away, but he holds strong, like his life depends on it.
“You don’t get to risk your life like that!” he snaps. His face is red, and his eyes are filled with rage.
“Get off me!” My nostrils twitch as his scent hits me. It’s like coming home to something familiar and expected.
“I should have been the one to deal with this problem,” he snarls. “You’re only eighteen. You have no idea how fast this world kills people you care about!”
“Um, do I have to remind you that I basically kicked your ass when we first met?” His eyes narrow, and I swallow hard. “You’re not angry because I put myself at risk. You’re angry because I didn’t need you.”
His expression shifts to something so deadly that for a moment, I’m absolutely sure he’s going to hit me.
But he doesn’t.
I watch his jaw tremble, and his eyes burrow into mine, feeling the intensity.
My heart is pounding like I’ve just run a marathon, and my cheeks are tingling all over.
Slowly, he leans in until our faces are almost touching. Is he going to kiss me?
“Next time you want to do something like that,” he says slowly, “it goes through me.”
“Fuck you,” I gnash back. “You don’t get to decide how I live my life. I don’t need your protection.”
Again, Ryker’s face shifts. But this time, his lips part, and he looks at me almost like he’s afraid.
“Fine,” he replies, releasing me. I suddenly feel like I’ve been struck too.
My legs tremble as I turn and walk away.