Chapter 23
FURY
“I love gifts, but not really surprises,” Dakota said as I helped her out of the truck. “And you’ve got me blindfolded. This is really some scary nonsense.”
“Don’t be scared, baby,” I said when her feet were on the ground and I closed the door behind her.
She looked so cute in her black leggings, black tennis shoes and hoodie.
We’d spent the last week at home, unpacking her stuff the movers delivered and enjoying each other as if it was our second honeymoon.
That’s how I told her we were going to think about it since the stress of all that shit that went down at her parents’ place.
Charles had taken Mama Brenda to their family island in the Caribbean while Dakota’s alpha crew, then the contractors came in to clean up the place.
Cade, Shawna and Miss Malissa—as I called her to get on Cade’s nerves since it was close to his nickname for her—were having a staycation as well.
I don’t know why that fool thought if he gave somebody a nickname nobody else was supposed to use it.
That shit made me smile because Dakota’s family really was my family now.
“I gotchu’,” I told her before leaning in to drop a kiss on her forehead. “Just walk.” I looped her arm through mine and led her to the door.
Once inside, we continued until we reached our destination.
“Okay, stairs and beeping, like there was a control panel somewhere,” she said when we made it to the bottom of the steps.
“Stop trying to figure it out,” I told her and reached behind her head to undo the tie and remove the blindfold. “We’re here.”
Her hands flew to her mouth and trapped her gasp. I stuffed the blindfold into my back pocket, then took her hand.
“I thought about all the things I’d bought you since meeting you,” I said pulling her gently until she took the next step with me. “And about all the gifts I plan to shower you with in the future. I’m talking birthdays, anniversaries, just-because gifts, get me out of trouble gifts, all that.”
She yanked on my hand instead of responding verbally and I turned back to grin at her.
“Those will always be diamonds,” I said.
“I know you love them. And yellow roses, your favorite. But I’ll give you those all the time because you deserve all your flowers, baby.
” Stopping at the end of the table, I pulled her into me.
“You deserve the world, Dakota and I plan to give it to you.”
I kissed her. A soft touch of my lips at first, then another touch, then another and I pressed my tongue into her mouth.
There was only a second’s hesitation before she slipped her hand from mine and looped her arms around my waist. I wrapped my arms around her and deepened the kiss.
We stayed like that and the way my dick was starting to brick up, might have even gone to second base, if not for the muted screams coming from behind us.
“Somebody’s impatient,” she said, and pulled her mouth from mine.
There was a twinkle in her eye. An excited spark that I’d never seen before, regardless of the really good gifts I’d given her so far. I liked that shit.
I’d briefly contemplated bringing her here, but that night she told me about what happened with Cade at that concert, I’d seen something in her eyes.
Something that let me know she was more like me than she wanted to admit.
And that maybe, the fear of that admission was what really fueled her desire to keep our marriage a secret.
She wasn’t really afraid of what her family would think about our union.
She was afraid of what our union would bring out in her.
So, instead of her having to say it out loud, I was doing what I told my wife I would do, taking care of her. Allowing her to do this, to embrace this part of herself, one more time.
“Yeah. Guess I’ll let you have fun with your present now.” I winked at her. “We can pick this up when we get home.”
“Promise?”
“Absolutely, my love.”
When she turned to face the table, I slapped her ass and groaned when that shit jiggled. “Change that to definitely.”
She looked over her shoulder and blew me a kiss. Then she held out a hand. I reached back into my pants and retrieved her gun. I’d slipped it out of her purse just before we left the house, knowing she wouldn’t need it until we got here.
There was a moment of surprise when she looked down to see it was her personal weapon. “You take such good care of me,” she said with another beaming smile.
“Always,” I told her and moved to the head of the table to yank the gag out of August’s mouth.
The day I went to meet Cade and KC was running down August’s license tag, Zayn posted up outside of her condo building.
When KC called to say he had located the car, we weren’t one hundred percent sure she was going to be there.
If she was, cool, I would’ve grabbed her ass and brought her here to see the lilies.
But to cover all our basis, Zayn stayed put.
That, and the mailman stepping onto the porch at the townhouse first, were strokes of luck in our favor.
Zayn grabbed August just as she was about to get into a rideshare.
She had a ticket to Barcelona in her purse.
After taking care of Atlas, I thought it would be good for Dakota to have some closure from this ordeal too. Especially since August was stupid enough to approach her.
“You and your bitch are sick, Fury Mathias! Fuckin’ sick!”
“Awwwww,” Dakota cooed as she stepped closer, running the barrel of her gun down the side of August’s face. “Are you not happy with the accommodations?”
“Bitch!” August yelled and Dakota laughed.
Then, she raised a brow and asked, “Paralytic?”
I nodded. “Yep. She wouldn’t keep still.”
She tsked. “Just like you wouldn’t get the fuck out of my face when I warned you at the lounge. Gotta learn to listen,” she said, this time tapping the barrel on August’s forehead. “Well, I guess I’m gonna have to teach you a lesson and this time, I sure hope you pay attention.”
“Fury! Get this bitch away from me!” August tried to find me with her eyes, but I was standing too far back now, and she couldn’t turn her head. “I made you, Fury Mathias! Without me you would be just another drug dealer.”
“Oh wow, did you hear that, baby?” Dakota asked. “You’re nothing without this stank ass, molesting ass, basic ass slut.”
“I heard it,” I replied watching my wife closely.
She sighed heavily. “Well, I’m still gonna keep him. Even if he is just another drug dealer. He’s all mine.”
This time when August opened her mouth to speak, Dakota aimed the gun and fired. The bullet whizzed past August’s face and pinged off the stainless-steel table she lay on.
Tears streamed down August’s face.
“I don’t want him,” August said. “I don’t want him anymore and I won’t tell anybody about this, just let me go.”
“Oh, you don’t want your lesson either?” Dakota asked.
“No. No. I don’t need it. Just let me go, please. Fury, tell her to let me go.” More tears fell and she made this weird ass wailing sound.
Dakota looked at me in question and I shrugged. “It’s your world, love. So, just this once I’m gonna let you get yours.” I stepped closer to her and tucked a finger under her chin. “But understand this: from now on all you have to do is say the word and I’ll do the shooting.”
Tilting her head, I saw the sheen of tears in her eyes. The only tears I would ever be affected by. “You would kill for me, baby?”
“I’d make these streets rain blood for you, Dakota. All you have to do is say the word.” I dropped a soft kiss on her lips.
“I love you,” she whispered.
“I love you,” I responded.
She turned her face away from mine, aimed the gun again and fired.