Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
ANDIE
It takes a second before my brain reengages. I rush to the bedroom door, flinging it open. One of the men standing guard outside my room quickly steps in front of me. I try to sidestep him, but he blocks my way. Looking left and right, I crane my neck to see past the impenetrable wall of muscle before me. I don’t see Matteo anywhere.
“Get out of my way,” I growl at the guy, frustrated.
His face is a blank void of nothingness. “You are not allowed to leave the room,” he robotically replies.
Oh, for fuck’s sake. “The guy, Matteo, who was just in my room—go get him and tell him I want to talk to him.”
I’m given a blank stare.
I huff a breath of annoyance. “Matteo, the guy who literally just walked out of the room. That guy. I need to talk to him.”
The guard still gives me nothing.
“You’re an absolute twat, you know that, right?” I tell him, my anger coming hot now at being ignored.
Growing up in this house and being a girl, meant that I had no power. According to my father, the only thing women were good for was providing a hole—didn’t matter which one—for a man to stick his dick into, and to pop out babies. Looking back, I’m surprised my father even allowed my mother to leave for Europe with me. He is abusive, controlling, a complete narcissist, and a deranged sociopath. She must have had something on him, some form of leverage. Otherwise, he would have killed her before he let her disgrace him by leaving him. Perhaps he already has and that’s why I haven’t heard from her in over a year.
I’m slowly beginning to understand the enormity of everything I don’t know about this family. All the lies and secrets. The abuse and killing. I’m coming to finally accept that Kellan was no different. He also lied to me. Kept things from me. I always thought he was my hero. But a hero would have stopped our father from hurting me. Kellan knew what was going on, and so did Mother.
And then to bring Sarah here to live in this house. What the hell was he thinking? Kellan could have found another place for her. He should have hidden her away, let her have a normal life. Our father should never have known of her existence.
I scan the hallway again for Matteo. The guard makes the mistake of putting his hands on me to manhandle me back inside my room. I react on pure instinct, my training taking over. It’s like I’m on autopilot and watching from outside my body.
The sound of bone snapping is barely audible through the white noise that fills my ears. I have the man’s arm twisted and bent up at an awkward angle at the wrist. He cries out in pain, his knees buckling underneath him when I apply pressure to a certain nerve in his hand. The second guard shouts something, but before he can reach me, I slam the first guard’s face into my knee. Another crunching sound. Blood pours from his nose and he passes out cold. All of this happens so quickly, the second guard hasn’t even reacted yet. When he does, he charges me.
Jumping over the prone body at my feet, I spin around the second man, getting behind him and using his momentum to smash him into the wall. I don’t know how I get his gun. It seems to magically appear in my hand. I point it directly between his eyes, my grip on the gun steady and unwavering.
“Please don’t make me shoot you,” I warn.
One of the questions Keane and Jax kept asking me when we were at the cabin was where I learned to fight. Let’s just say that it’s a good thing my given last name is McCarthy. As in Irish mafia. But that’s a story I’ll share another day. Right now, I have to deal with the guy in front of me about to piss his pants as he stares at the gun in my hand and sees from my stony facial expression that I’m serious about my threat to blow his head off.
The guard at my feet starts to come to, so I give him a swift, hard kick to the head. He doesn’t even grunt at the contact as he passes out again. Max needs better soldiers. These guys are pathetic.
The one left standing is young, maybe mid-twenties. Dark hair, brown eyes, average build. Nothing about him would stand out and make me take notice. Not like Jax, Keane, or Rafe. I definitely notice them. They are hard to ignore. All raw power and sex appeal. My mind wanders back to how good Jax felt inside of me, and I’m a little horrified that I’m getting turned on as I hold a nine mil to a man’s face.
“What’s your name?”
He blinks at me a few times, a trail of sweat tracing down his temple. “Paulo.”
“Okay, Paulo. Maybe you can do a better job of helping me. Where’s Matteo?”
Paulo audibly swallows when I press the gun closer. Seriously? Why am I even wasting my time? I smash the butt of the gun against the side of his head, and he falls to the floor to join his friend.
The gun suddenly gets yanked from my hand from behind, and a scorching heat presses up against my back. A familiar scent wraps around me and my muscles go lax from just his smell alone.
Keane engages the safety on the gun and spins me around, his hazel eyes scanning me for injuries.
“Did they hurt you?”
“You wish,” I mutter.
I’m not used to him acting concerned for my well-being. It freaks me out a little. Besides, the two men I took down so easily suck as guards. I didn’t even chip a nail. I peer down at my fingers. Nope. No chips in sight, but it reminds me that I’m overdue for a manicure.
“Why are you always causing problems?” Keane voices more to himself than me.
“You need to fill me in on what the hell is going on.”
Keane is busily typing something on his phone. When he looks up and sees me watching, he explains, “Just letting Jax know to come clean up the mess you made.”
He gives me one of his rare grins, and I ignore the tingles it creates racing across my skin.
Keane shoves the gun in his back waistband. He bends down and lifts Paulo under the arms and drags him across the hall.
“Open the door for me, princess.”
I do. He comes back out, and I help him carry the other guy.
“Jax will be here before they wake up,” he says, closing the door behind him.
“Keane, the cameras.”
My father has cameras all over the house. There are three in this hallway alone. Security should have already alerted the other men. We, maybe, have seconds before they come.
Keane gives me a small head shake not to worry. “Jax,” is all he says, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
Jax is the tech genius, after all. It would be easy for him to shut the cameras off or manipulate the video feed.
Knowing I should fill Keane in on what Matteo said to me, I grip his shirtfront and quickly pull him inside my bedroom, shutting and locking the door.
Keane leans back on the door, crossing his arms over his chest. He has very sexy arms. All inked and muscled. Too bad they’re covered in a long-sleeved dress shirt. Why has my libido decided to come out of perpetual hibernation around these guys? Other than Rafe when I was a teenager, and my very reckless, instant attraction to Liam, I’ve basically lived like a nun. I don’t do random sex, or sex at all. Sex is complicated for me, and those complications stem from the abuse I endured. Being with Rafe was the first time intimacy actually felt good. It meant something. It was sweet, and gentle, and filled with young love. It was pure.
I’m still shocked at myself for sleeping with Jax, and even more shocked that I want to do it again. That I liked it. It sent a thrill through me to be taken so roughly. To be fucked so hard, I blacked out. Jax and Liam are both similar in that respect. God, I’m a mess in the head.
I came back home hating Keane, Jax, and Rafe, and planned to destroy them, along with my father. Wanting to avenge Kellan’s death. But it’s almost impossible now to remind my traitorous body that these men are still the enemy, regardless of whether or not they help me take down my father. I also don’t know if I can fully believe what Jax told me about the night Kellan died. If it’s true, I will burn this entire city to the ground, with my father tied to a stake right in the middle of it.
“Eyes up here, Andie,” Keane says, and my cheeks go hot at being caught practically drooling over the sight of his arms. Yep. I’m completely and totally screwed up in the head. I force my gaze up to his face.
Getting down to business, I ask him, “Where’s my father?”
He gives me the last answer I ever expected. “We don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” I say incredulously.
He uncrosses his arms, and I see the concern marring his handsome face.
“Something happened. That’s why the house is on lockdown. We can’t get ahold of your father, Dom, Lorenzo, or a few of the other capos.”
Not wanting to sit on the bed for many obvious reasons, I sit down on the plush rug on the floor. Keane joins me, and it reminds me so much of when we played the game of slaps while sitting on the bathroom floor. But now is not the time for games.
“What business did my father have?”
He left a couple of days ago, but, of course, I was never told where or why.
Keane hesitates, and I’m about to remind him of his promise that we are in this thing together.
“He went to meet with the East Coast families in New York. The meeting took place. What happened after Max left is what we’re trying to figure out.”
“What about tonight and Julio and?—”
“I’ve already called Julio and called off tonight. He was not happy but fuck him. As for the New York meeting, Max wants Declan and his entire organization razed to the ground. But he can’t do that without the consent of the other families. He has already ticked them off by making the deal with Ortiz without consulting them.”
Makes sense. In this type of life, you can’t appear weak. If someone strikes out at you, you strike back even harder. I understand the desire to extract a little payback.
However, my father can’t make a move against Declan without the approval of the other families. What affects one, affects them all. They will avoid an all-out war, if possible. To know my father made the deal with Julio without their vote is mind boggling and tells me things are much, much worse than I ever realized.
It also hurts to know that my great-uncle knew and accepted the deal to hand me over to Alejandro. Rafe is engaged to his granddaughter. Uncle Dom knew, and he did nothing to stop it. Is everyone in my life going to betray me?
Keane then tells me, “Jax discovered something. Levine has a kid. Someone who has remained inconspicuous all this time. No one knows who they are. No photos. No online presence that Jax can track. Whoever it is, they’re a ghost. And it seems like they are gunning for you.”
The first person who comes to mind is Liam. Is Liam Declan’s son? It would explain a lot. How he knew my name when we first met in Geneva. Why he showed up at my hotel room, holding a gun on me and knocking me out.
I stand up, angry that this is the first I’m hearing about it. “And you’re telling me this now ?”
Standing up as well, Keane faces off with me, not one to back down from a direct challenge.
“It’s kind of hard telling you what we know when you’re clearly still hiding things from us. You want to hear our secrets, princess? Then you start spilling yours.”
Keane can be such an overbearing, authoritative asshole.
I jab my finger at his chest, right below his collarbone. “You think what I told you yesterday was bad? That’s only a slice of the shit I’ve been through. So you can kiss my ass, Keane. I’ll figure things out on my own. I don’t need you,” I blast out, rage flying to the forefront.
I’m sick and tired of being messed with. I was going to tell him what Matteo said, but not now when he’s being a complete prick.
With a soft touch that takes me by surprise, Keane lifts my chin, so I have no other option than to meet his green-brown eyes head-on. The way he’s touching me is an intimate gesture, one that has my heart pounding as he looks down at me.
“He will never hurt you again, Andie.”
My father isn’t the only one I’m worried about.
“Why did you have a photograph of me in your room at the cabin?”
That question came out of the blue for both of us, as evidenced by our eyes widening at each other at the same time.
I want to take it back. I’m not ready to hear the answer. There’s too much going on that needs to be dealt with. More concerningly, the don of the Rossi syndicate and half of his top men have gone radio silent. Which means Keane is now in charge.
My violet eyes narrow with distrust. Did he orchestrate this? Is this his promise to me to deal with my father, while at the same time, gain power for himself? Is he using me to cement that power with that half-assed marriage proposal he threw at me, and then get rid of me once that happens?
Before I can pepper him with questions, Keane steps closer, pressing our bodies flush.
“You’re a smart girl, Andie. Figure it out.”
Figure out what? The photograph. He’s talking about the photograph.
Not expecting it, I stop breathing when Keane caresses his lips, ever so gently over mine. I thought the way Jax kissed me ruined me. I was so wrong. This softness from someone so hard is devastating and has me yearning for him in a way that can only lead to my ruin.
Keane has never kissed me before. We fight and bicker more than anything. Always have, even as kids. I can barely stand being in the same room with him most of the time. I’m so confused right now, especially after what happened with Jax. What does this mean?
I place my palms to his chest and push back. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
Keane, ever the obstinate alphahole, grins and yanks me back.
“There are a lot of things I shouldn’t do, Andie, but that’s never stopped me,” he murmurs against my mouth.
I should shove him away from me. I should punch him in the face. I should curse him out and tell him never to touch me again. But I don’t. I can’t.
Keane waits a beat, watching me closely. We’re both strung tight, like two pit vipers facing off, waiting to see if the other will strike first. It turns out to be him.
I give a small moan when he slides rough hands down my back to my ass, his large body slowly lowering until he’s on his knees in front of me. My brain short circuits at the implication of what he’s about to do. And God help me, I want him to.
Keane looks up at me with those penetrating hazel eyes, his hands now smoothing up the outside of my legs, bunching my dress up as they go. His left hand unclips the knife holster and I hear it fall to the floor with a thud.
“What are you doing?” Jesus, is that my voice? All breathy, and wispy, and needy.
He inhales deeply, brushing his nose along my panties. It’s almost as if he’s trying to scent me. Millions of butterflies explode inside my stomach, causing my muscles to quiver at his light touch.
“We don’t even like each other,” I lamely argue.
His fingertips carefully wrap around the elastic of my underwear and begin to teasingly pull them down. My legs shake, barely able to hold me up, as I watch the thin strip of lace fall to the floor around my ankles.
I shouldn’t want this. I spent all night riding Jax’s massive cock. I took him bare in the shower and had his cum dripping out of me.
“I slept with Jax,” I blurt out, my mind trying to devise something, anything , that will help me put the brakes on what’s about to happen. What I want to happen, even though I know it’s a bad fucking idea. Crossing this line with Jax was one thing. But with Keane as well?
He shocks the hell out of me when he replies, “I know.”
And then his mouth is on me, his tongue thrusting deep, and I spear my hands through his hair, holding him in place as his mouth sends me straight to hell.
Keane doesn’t tease me with light flicks or slow licks. He goes straight to eating me with abandon, fucking me savagely with his tongue, and all I can do is hold on for the ride.
His fingers curl into the meat of my ass, shifting my hips to gain better access to my pussy. A low rumble of approval vibrates out of his chest, and my clit pulses in response. I’m falling so hard and so fast into what will be a monumental explosion of release, that I don’t hear the snick of the bedroom lock or notice the door opening.
I cry out when a hand wraps around my neck, fingers pressing into the vulnerable flesh. My eyes fly open just as Jax sweeps his tongue inside my mouth. That’s all it takes. My body locks and I convulse wildly as I come. And come. Like lifelines, I keep one hand tangled in Keane’s thick, silky hair, and reach around to grasp the back of Jax’s neck. I would be putty on the floor by now if they weren’t both holding me up.
“So goddamn good,” Keane growls against my pussy. With one last swipe of his tongue, he inhales deeply and kisses my mons tenderly.
“Hold on, baby.”
Suddenly, Jax bends me over by forcibly pulling at my hips, and my hands slam down on top of Keane’s shoulders to stop myself from falling forward. I barely have time to take my next breath before Jax’s heavy hand spanks my ass, right before he slams his cock into me from behind.
“Fuck!” I shout, my fingers curling into Keane’s skin, my fingernails digging in.
Oh, God. It’s too much. I’m on sensory overload as Keane’s lips fuse to mine, kissing me deeply, over and over. His thumb finds its way to my clit, rapidly circling the swollen nub as Jax pounds into me like he’s trying to break me. And he does. They both do. Within seconds, I shatter, another orgasm screaming its way out of me. Jax groans my name as he soon follows.
Holy hell. My limbs go limp, and this time I do collapse forward, not able to hold myself up any longer. Jax’s arms wrap around my waist, and he lifts me up, cradling me to his body and turning my face so he can kiss me.
Like a wraith, Keane rises from his kneeling position to tower over me. Jax ends our kiss with a nip of teeth on my bottom lip and another soft kiss to my temple. When I turn back to face Keane, he takes in my glazed eyes and kiss-swollen lips and smiles the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen.
“You asked me why I had the photograph of you?”
Jax hasn’t spoken a word, but his hold on me tightens possessively. Keane raises the thumb he had used on my clit and licks my essence from the pad. His hum of pleasure has pure desire skating across my body from my head to the tips of my toes.
“You’ve always been mine, Alexandria.” His gaze flicks over my shoulder to Jax. “Ours,” he reiterates.
My brain starts working again, climbing its way out of the fog of having two orgasms back-to-back. I let Keane go down on me. I let Jax fuck me. Again.
Mortification washes over me like ice water.
“I belong to no one,” I mumble, trying hard to process what the hell just happened. What I allowed to happen.
“That’s where you’re dead fucking wrong, princess.”
Lifting me in his arms and away from Jax, Keane carries me out of my bedroom, not wanting the nightmares from my past to touch what’s about to happen between us if we were to stay in my room. Jax follows closely behind, his hand splayed over my lower back, as if he can’t bear not to touch me right now.
I shove whatever misgivings I have and decide not to second guess what’s about to transpire with both men. I think from the moment they found me in the warehouse, this was inevitable. The boys I crushed on when I was a little girl. My brother’s best friends. The men who became my enemies. The men who became more . And instead of continuing to fight it, I give in and kiss Keane’s full mouth while reaching over his shoulder for Jax. Keane slows his walk, his mouth opening for me, our tongues touching and stroking. Jax twines our fingers together, providing me with an anchor to keep me grounded. I’ve never done anything like this before, but God help me, I want it so fucking badly.
Just as we arrive at Keane’s room, his phone goes off, and we both groan in frustration. Jax reaches into Keane’s back pocket and pulls the phone out, handing it to him. Keane puts me down gently and reads the message with a hard frown. Like a light switch, his entire persona changes in an instant.
“I need you to go back to your room and stay there,” he tells me.
My mind is still reeling from what just happened. I was ready to sleep with both of them. No, not ready. Eager. Desperate. There are so many things wrong with that. And then there is what happened with Rafe in the pantry. So, it takes me a second to catch on to what he said.
“Why?”
“Andie, please don’t argue.”
It’s the please that stops my protests and has me worrying. I nod my okay.
“Keane, wait!” I call out as they take off down the hallway.
He and Jax stop feet away from me and turn around.
“We need to get Sarah out of here. Get her someplace safe.”
He jerks his chin at Jax, and I watch helplessly as Jax disappears quickly from view down the stairs.
Keane jogs back, grabs my face, and gives me a quick, hard kiss. “Stay in your room until Rafe comes for you.”
What was that text message about? I want to demand he tell me. It must be something bad. Eyes that were looking at me with lust moments ago are now frosted over with steely determination.
For the first time since we’ve known each other, I do as he asks of me and don’t argue.