Chapter 3
FURY
I knew she was gonna be mine the first time I saw her at the abandoned warehouse down by the docks.
She wore blue disposable coveralls, black gloves and matching blue booties on her feet.
Her beautiful face framed by the hood of the coveralls was the only glimpse of smooth caramel-hued skin I was provided.
It was her eyes, though … the wide, assessing hazel orbs, that connected with mine and sucked out every ounce of my soul.
I swear I hadn’t been able to move, speak, or hell, blink, for at least ten minutes as I continued to stare at her.
Later that night, after the bodies had been bagged and I’d talked to every one of the shooters who’d come running into the warehouse once they got word of a hit going down, I spotted her again.
She stood at the back of the huge space talking to KC.
As I approached, I saw that she’d pulled the hood off and unzipped the coveralls a little.
Honey blonde hair was pulled into a messy bun at the nape of her neck.
Medium-thick lips, unfettered by color from lipstick or gloss, looked kissable as fuck.
As I got closer I came to them, blood on my brother’s neck pulled my attention from the beautiful woman unaffected by the gruesome scene. “You hit?”
“It’s just a graze,” KC answered, shaking his head. “And before you start, I was just telling Ms. Donovan, here that I’m gonna run by Mel’s once this is all wrapped up and get it looked at.”
Putting a hand to his chin, I pushed his head aside so I could see the damage for myself.
There was a patch of skin missing at the base of his neck, blood seeping out of it.
I swallowed hard at the realization that a few inches to the right and the bullet would’ve gone into his neck, likely hitting his carotid artery. My brother would’ve bled to death.
“Donovan?” The name snapped my thoughts from the dark space they’d ventured to and my gaze found hers.
“Dakota,” she seemingly corrected me, before looking back to KC.
“Shamel and I went to undergrad together, so I know she’s wicked smart and a phenomenal physician. That means I’ll let you slide,” she told him.
KC gave her a nod and a crooked smile. “Thank you kindly,” he said with only about half the sarcasm that usually laced his tone. “She was threatening to toss me into the back of her truck and take me to the ER.”
He was indeed snitching on her. Similar to the way he used to do on me when we were kids and somebody from school bothered him.
Until he got fed up that day in third grade and smacked Paul Renfield in the face with a textbook.
That was the end of timid Keegan Mathias and the birth of the killer that stood beside me now.
“Infection is just as deadly as bullets,” she continued, in a mildly scolding tone. “Don’t let me find out you didn’t check-in with her.”
“What’s gonna happen if you do?” KC asked with a flirtatious grin. “You gonna spank me, Dee?”
I wanted to punch him in the face. On the opposite side of where blood ran down his neck, of course.
She chuckled. “In your dreams, Keegan. Now, move. I’ve got to finish up here so I can go home and get some sleep. Unlike you, I have a day job to report to first thing in the morning.”
“My debrief with your team is complete,” I stated, feeling left out of a conversation that seemed way too familiar.
To my partial relief, her response to KC was more of a soft rejection, than shared interest. And to be honest, KC wasn’t really interested in anybody other than Joy Lynn Howard, his on-again-off-again girlfriend for the last fifteen years.
Until my brother finally grew the fuck up and decided Joy was the one who deserved to carry his last name, he would be out in these streets pushin’ up on any woman that caught his eye.
I didn’t like that Dakota Donovan seemed to have done just that. But I wasn’t in the habit of sniffing around another man’s lady.
“I’ll come by in the morning so we can figure out the next steps.” My stern tone did exactly what I expected it would, and KC turned his attention back to me, his expression somber.
“Good. I’mma hit you with a name in a few. Gotta answer these texts, then I’ll head over to Mel’s.” He flashed Dakota one last smile. “Always a pleasure working with you, Dee.”
“Same here,” she replied and turned to leave.
I watched her walk away. Admired the sway of her hips, the curve of her voluptuous ass and the lingering scent of lemons.
I inhaled deeply just to make sure I wasn’t totally losing it, since we were standing inside of a warehouse that just forty minutes ago had five dead bodies on the floor.
Blood was still pooled in areas of the concrete and was splattered on one of the walls and windows.
The clean-up crew would handle all of that once we cleared out; the clean-up crew that she was apparently on.
“She fine as fuck,” KC said.
I thought he’d already headed to where the rest of his team stood waiting for his direction, but he was still next to me.
“How is she related to Cade?” I asked, my eyes continuing to track her movements. She’d met up with two others dressed the same as her and they were talking.
“Little sister,” KC replied. “I’m surprised you haven’t already met her. Especially since you and Cade been working with your little secret society.”
He was referring to the Alliance—the network of power brokers between law enforcement, members of the underworld, and politicians who wanted some sort of balance in a world where justice and neutrality were threatened every day.
I joined them five years ago, around the same time that I decided to transition from the president role with the Platinum Ryders.
“She’s a Donovan and she cleans up shit like this?
” The Donovans were like Black royalty across the world.
Aside from just being born into the right family, they were each wealthy and important in their own right.
There was no way a woman like Dakota belonged in a place like this cleaning blood off the floor.
“She owns the clean-up company,” KC said. “Cade gave me her card a couple months ago when he picked up some special pieces I had for him.”
He cursed, and my attention shot back to him.
“Fuckin’ blood is drippin’ on my new shoes.”
I looked down to where blood had indeed dripped from his left hand onto the pristine white of his vintage Air Force One’s.
“You’re the dumbass for wearing new white shoes to a fuckin’ buy.
And you’re bleeding more.” Grabbing him by the right arm, I started walking him toward the entryway.
“You’re going to see Mel now and I’m driving.
On the way, you can tell me what the hell you were doing here when Rylo was supposed to be handling this. ”
I planned to resist asking him for more information about Dakota Donovan. I would find that out for myself.
And I did find out more. Then I fell in love.
Dragging a hand down my face I stood staring out into the darkness, recalling the first time I met her. That was eighteen months ago. It was also the last time I was able to think of any other woman but her.
So much had happened in that time, so many emotions I thought I wasn’t capable of feeling had taken root in this soul I was convinced had been lost. My chest hurt with the fear that plagued me for the first ten minutes after hearing Trill’s, “She’s gone.”
“Whoa, what the fuck is up with you?” KC asked when we were in that safe room. My hand was clenching my phone so tightly it was a wonder it hadn’t broken.
After coming up on the opposite side of me, Rafe eased it out of my hand.
“Dakota.” The name which was a whisper in my mind every morning I awoke, slipped out in a rasp. “Trill said she’s not at her house, but her truck is still there. He watched her go in after work, but now, she’s not there.” Lifting my eyes to lock with my brother’s, I continued, “Find her.”
KC nodded and reached out to Rafe for my phone. “It’s right here, bro. Just be cool. It’s right here on your phone.”
I watched as he swiped on my phone and pressed some buttons.
All shit I could’ve done if my heart wasn’t threatening to beat out of my fuckin’ chest and my head didn’t feel like it was in a vice.
Just moments ago, I was fine. In charge of the current situation and in the leadership position I’d been trained for since birth.
I was the pseudo-president of the Platinum Ryders, the CEO of the Blackbond Corporation and one of the deadliest men on the East Coast. Yet that call had crushed me.
“Okay, good. Good.” KC lifted the phone to my face. “See, she’s right here. Look at the red dot on the screen. She’s right here, Fury.”
“Breathe, man,” Rafe said, placing a hand on my shoulder.
My gaze hit the screen and a breath indeed whooshed out. What the fuck was happening to me? Closing my eyes briefly, I tried to get my shit together. I had to see that red dot again, so I opened my eyes to watch it blinking. “She’s on the move.”
“Yeah,” KC said. “Down south it looks like.”
“South Carolina?” Rafe said. “Vacation?”
A vacation I didn’t know about. A vacation without me, her husband. After a deep breath, I released it on a rugged curse. Then took my phone from KC. “Tell them to get the jet ready. You and Rafe stay here until the clean-up is done.”
Turning, I told Rafe, “Figure out what you want done with his body. When the jet comes back, you can either bring him home to be buried there, or—”
“Yeah,” Rafe nodded, “that’s what I’m gonna do. For my Pops.”
I nodded tightly. “Good.” It was my turn to clap a hand on his shoulder. “Good.” That second acknowledgment was more about what Rafe had done here today. The duty he’d upheld despite the pain I knew he would carry for the rest of his life.