4. Von
F urious, I snatched the gun from Erik and jammed the muzzle under Apollo’s chin. “Are you positive these moles already infiltrated our ranks? I would think carefully before you answer, a con artist you might be, but a wolf can always smell a lie.”
“So you’re admitting you know I haven’t lied to you even once, or is it possible I’m more skilled than you realize,” Apollo taunted with a smirk, only for it to vanish as I applied more pressure with the gun. “Fine, be that way. Last I knew, Serena received a report that her men made it through the vetting process and were part of the latest batch of grunts.”
My brain worked overtime as I tried to remember if I knew when the last roundup of new blood had been. The twins always liked to tell me about the grunts or wannabe soldiers who they put through hell, testing to see if they’d be able to survive the lifestyle. Similar to the military, a mafia boss had to trust his soldiers would do as they were told and wouldn’t question orders. If Apollo was right, these rats were introduced by people our family trusted and were given a chance to prove themselves useful. Grunts weren’t officially part of the family yet, first they had to prove their worth. Then they’d perform the oath and bleed for the right to be considered a true part of the family. For anyone to fake their way through this whole process to end up in the final group who were considered to take the oath was any mafia family's worst nightmare.
“All right, now open the damn door,” I ordered, yanking him toward the door. “I need to make a phone call to confirm your story, and I can’t do that in this fucking metal box.”
“Happily, my treasure,” Apollo agreed, eyes sparkling with mischief. “But first I want either a please or a kiss to go along with that demand.”
“Fuck you,” I growled.
“Oh, I’m fine with that option as well,” Apollo said with a grin. “But ginger spice can’t play, he can only watch.”
I groaned, rolling my eyes. “You know what? Instead of killing you, I think I should take myself out of this misery. It would certainly be faster.”
Both men lunged and grabbed for the gun as if they actually believed I was about to off myself. Twisting out of the way, I watched the two men crash into each other.
Apollo started swearing as he covered his nose with a hand. “God fucking dammit, it just stopped bleeding.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t try to take things that are mine and you won’t get hurt,” I suggested, twirling the gun around my finger as if it were a toy. “Anyone who’s been watching me as closely as you claim to have would know how I feel about people touching my stuff.”
“You know damn well I wasn’t trying to steal the gun,” Apollo muttered as he grabbed a fist full of paper towels to keep blood from ruining another shirt. “I wasn’t the only one who made a move, why aren’t you yelling at him?”
“Wooow, that’s real mature.” Erik scoffed, crossing his arms. “Man, if you act like this with Bear you won’t be alive long.”
Apollo glared at Erik. “Don’t waste your breath worrying about me, I can handle myself around Bear just fine.”
“Oh… I’m sorry, did you actually think I was worried?” Erik questioned, pressing a hand to his chest. “Shit, guess I should have added more sarcasm.”
I raised a hand and let out a shrill whistle instantly gaining their attention. “Hi there, if you’re done waving your dicks around trying to figure out who's bigger, I’d really like to get the hell out of this room.”
Apollo looked at his watch and grunted before he walked over to the door and punched in what had to be the equation for Pi. There was an approving beep as it accepted the code before a palm scanner lit up. At least I now knew he wasn’t lying about the room’s security. The second the door lock disengaged, it flew open, and an incredibly pissed-off Bear had his hand wrapped around Apollo’s throat. A deep growl echoed in the room as Bear slammed Apollo against the wall.
“Call him off, Von,” Apollo managed to squeak out. “I don’t want to hurt him.”
This, of course, only enraged Bear further as he roared in Apollo’s face, spit landing on his battered features.
“Remind me again why I need to do that?” I asked, tapping my chin. “Let’s see, the door’s open. I know two moles are gunning for my family, and when it comes to your brother, I’m sure I can find him eventually. Yeah, still not seeing a reason to stop Bear from having a bit of fun.”
Apollo managed to shake his head slightly. “No, you won’t. Passy knows how to be a ghost.”
“Well then, it’s a good thing hunting ghosts is my specialty,” I countered, leaning my head on Bear’s outstretched forearm, staring Apollo down. “Any last words I should tell Poseidon when I find him?”
“Von, look me in the eyes, really look at them when I say this,” Apollo pleaded. “You could save your mother, she’s not as sick as everyone thinks.”
That got my attention.
I grabbed Bear’s forearm and pushed it down so Apollo could stand, taking some of the pressure off his neck. “Explain,” I barked.
Apollo tapped Bear’s hand, signaling he needed more air to talk. I caught Bear’s obsidian gaze and gave a slight nod. Reluctantly, he loosened his grip just enough for Apollo to gasp, catching his breath.
“Your mother suddenly getting sicker wasn’t random,” Apollo explained. “Serena knows how close you are to your mother, and I would bet my life, no, your life this is part of her plan to get you home. Serena can’t get to you while you’re at your headquarters and there aren’t many willing to go head-to-head against you. This means she has to use tricks to get you to walk into a trap. I managed to get my hands on a list of names who responded to her bounty, but you’ll never get it if you kill me.”
Everything in me wanted to kill this man and get it over with, but he was proving to be irritatingly full of information I needed. Bastard was like a fucking cockroach, he would somehow manage to survive the world ending right alongside Twinkies.
“You want to live and prove yourself to me? Fine, but we’re doing this my way.” I decided and turned to Erik. “Guess what, Big Red, you get to move up the ladder from kidnap victim to sidekick.”
“Ah…” Erik said, looking utterly confused as he scratched his jaw. “Cool?”
I rolled my eyes as I pulled the necklace I’d been wearing over my head and motioned for Erik to kneel.
“Wait, is this where you knight me or some shit, and I get a cool nickname?” Erik asked, far too excited for his own good. “Can I offer a suggestion? What do you think about Red Phantom?”
“Sorry, that name is already taken,” I muttered as I unlocked and removed the shock collar from his neck. “Besides, I’ve already named you and I’m quite happy with Big Red.”
Erik pouted as he rubbed his neck. “Oh good, I’m named after a stick of gum.”
Squatting, I reached out, cupped his dick, and gave it a quick rub. “That’s no way to talk about Big Red, he’s far more impressive than a stick of gum.”
The way Erik’s face went from shock to grinning like the Cheshire cat was priceless. “Damn straight, little siren. Not even a pack of gum could make this guy look small.”
With a wink, I stood and returned to Apollo, the newest recipient of the shock collar. Who knew this invention would come in so handy?
It took a minute for me to adjust the shock collar since Apollo’s neck wasn’t as thick as Erick’s. I had to be sure because if it wasn’t tight enough, he wouldn’t get the full power of the shock, making the damn thing pointless. It would also give me an accurate reading of his pulse, much like those fitness watches to help gauge if the almighty sun god was lying to me. Hard to beat a wearable lie detector you don’t know exists.
I locked everything into place and patted Apollo’s cheek roughly. “Who’s a good puppy? Honestly, the look kind of works for you.”
“Treasure, if becoming your pet is the only way for me to stay by your side, I’ll get on all fours, shove a tail in my ass, and beg right here right now,” Apollo said in a tone far too sultry for the words coming out of his mouth.
“Huh, if that’s the type of person you think I want around, then you’ve proven just how little you know about me,” I commented with a huff as I stepped back from Apollo. “Oh right, should you have questions about your new jewelry, ask Big Red. He has plenty of first-hand experience.”
Done with my night out, I grabbed Bear’s hand and headed for the door. The hulking giant of a man didn’t hesitate to follow and masterfully shifted his hand to interlace our fingers. I smirked, knowing it was Bear’s way of showing Apollo how intimate we were. If there was one thing a person could never accuse me of being, it was overly romantic.
Who was I kidding? Romance of any kind wasn’t even a blip on the radar, my Master had ruined such emotions.
“Let’s head back to the apartment, I’m fucking beat.” I sighed, resting my head against Bear’s arm.
My eyes grew wide as noted the utter destruction in the storage room. Shattered glass and various liquids covered the floor and shelves. A large section of the exposed heating duct hung looking as if a T-rex had chomped into it. The ceiling was covered in black soot and showed where they’d missed with the first grenade.
“You sneaky bastard, you played hot grenade without me,” I accused, smacking Bear’s shoulder. “Told you that skill would come in handy one day.”
Bear grinned as his shoulders shook in silent laughter. Exiting the storage room, I was surprised to see the club was deserted. The music still played, smoke machine ran, and broken glass littered the dance floor. Seems like not everyone was comfortable with people playing hot grenade in the back room.
“Yo, Polygon, do we need to worry about the police showing up since shit hit the fan?” I asked without bothering to check if he was still with us.
“No, they know better,” Apollo answered from right behind me. “Although your pal Mamba might make an appearance. He’s a financial backer for the club and doesn’t like people causing trouble.”
“Great,” I groaned. “The last thing I want to deal with right now is him.”
Hands rested on my shoulders as Apollo leaned in so his face was next to mine. “I don’t know, treasure, I think it’s the perfect time to tell him you’re starting a harem and he’s not invited. Wait, on second thought, can I tell him? It would be so much fun to see the look on his face as his dreams are crushed into tiny pieces.”
I shook him off with an elbow to the gut and turned to glare over my shoulder. “What the fuck are you talking about? Who's building a harem?”
“Oh, was that a secret?” Apollo asked, dramatically covering his mouth in mock horror.
“You are certifiably batshit,” I muttered, shaking my head as I started for the exit I hoped would bring us to the back alley.
Apollo cut in front of me before I could open the door. “Okay, I’ll admit I jumped the gun a little. According to my research, for us to be considered a harem, you need at least three men you're involved with. Otherwise, it’s only a ménage à trois. Silly me, I foolishly assumed I had the spot as your third, but I get it, I still have to prove myself worthy.”
Pausing, he disarmed the fire door with his key and held it open, ushering us forward. “Tell me, do you have a plan for how many men, or women, you want in your harem? It’s fine if you don’t. That being said, I would like it on record no matter how many partners you have, I won’t feel the slightest bit threatened. My heart will never want for another person but you, my treasure. In fact, I believe you deserve all the gems and jewels you can find to fill up your empty love chest.”
Erik, who apparently reached his breaking point, shoved Apollo back into the club and slammed the door in his face. “Does that prick ever shut up?”
Not two seconds later, the door opened, and Apollo walked out joining us in the alley. “Seems like someone is going to need to work on their communication skills. If I’m doing something to upset you, Clifford, it’s best to use your words. Only then can we work through your issues as a family.”
Erik tossed up his hands in frustration. “ Ugh , why are you even fucking following us?”
Apollo looked at Erik as if he was speaking another language. “Because she marked me then collared me. As far as I’m concerned, Von owns my ass.”
Something about what Apollo said seemed to bother Bear and brought him to an abrupt halt. Slowly, he let go of my hand and turned to face our tagalong, body rigid and at the ready.
“ What do you mean she marked you ?” Bear demanded.
“He—” I started to translate but Apollo cut me off.
“I’m fluent in sign language, treasure. What kind of lover would I be if I couldn’t communicate with one of the most important people in your life?” Apollo explained as he started to pull up his pant leg. “As for Bear’s question, it's easier if I show you.”
On the back of his calf was a perfect red outline of my teeth. You could even tell where my sharpened canines had punctured the skin.
“I believe it’s common knowledge that a wolf claims their lifelong mate with a bite,” Apollo said with a smirk, his tone rather smug.
Bear bent down, pulled a knife from his boot, and advanced on Apollo. Dropping his pant leg Apollo squared up against the giant, his blue-green eyes locked with Bear’s, without a glimmer of fear.
“You. Are. Not taking this from me, Bear,” Apollo warned, speaking slowly. “Touch me with your knife and I’ll be forced to kill you.”
My grumpy Bear’s response was a dismissive grunt as he flipped the knife so the blade pointed toward his body, flush with his forearm as he crouched into a fighting stance.
Erik started forward, but I grabbed the back of his shirt and shook my head. If Bear stepped up to fight, he wouldn’t simply back off because Erik told him to. No, my Bear didn’t pick a fight unless he was positive he’d win.
“Fine, you want a fight then let's fight. However, it’s not really fair if I don’t have a weapon now is it?” Apollo pointed out.
Bear flashed a crude one-handed gesture which basically meant, fuck being fair. I wasn’t sure if Apollo would know the sign since it was slang, but Bear’s facial expression helped clear up any confusion. For as large and sturdy as Bear was, the man could move like lightning. I loved when Bear would spar with me because he was the ultimate opponent. Very few people mastered the ability to hide their tells before making a move. Bear was one such master, it was almost impossible to know what he was planning.
Bear darted forward lashing out with his blade, but Apollo avoided the attack with a similar level of skill. Even if the crazy bastard waited until the last second to dodge the attack. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d lost a few hairs in the process of being so cocky. How Apollo planned to fight back I wasn’t sure. Either way, I had a failsafe with the collar around his neck to end this fight quickly if I had to.
The two men danced a lethal tango as their fight became more serious. Apollo hissed as Bear’s blade caught his right arm when he dodged a little too slowly. It was obvious to me Bear was playing with Apollo to get the man where he wanted him. If Apollo was as good as he claimed to be at fighting, then he should be able to figure out the trap. However this turned out, it gave me valuable insight on my newest captive.
A loud thud and a pained grunt echoed off the alley walls as Bear landed an uppercut to Apollo’s gut. Stumbling back from the blow, Apollo crashed into the building’s brick wall. Bear’s trap was set which landed Apollo in a corner with no way out but through.
With a huff of laughter, Apollo wiped away some of the blood from his nose with his sleeve. “Is that all you’ve got, you hulking Care Bear?”
Erik groaned, hiding his face with a hand. “Does this moron want to be torn to pieces?”
“That seems to be the question of the night,” I muttered.
The glare of headlights appeared behind us lighting up the alley. I threw up my arm as the high beams flicked on, nearly blinding us with how bright the damn things were. Turning, I watched as the SUV’s doors opened and two men exited, then waited for a third to exit the back seat. The second I saw the third person’s outline I knew who it was and internally groaned.
“Wolfie?” Mamba questioned as he signaled to the driver and the headlights turned off. “I should have known if trouble was going down in my city I’d find you close by.”
Not having any ground to argue, I simply shrugged as I waited for him to close the distance between us.
He looked me over with a slight frown as he adjusted the cashmere jacket draped over his shoulders. “Wolfie, if you had issues with The Vaile you should have reached out to me. There’s no need to take out your anger on poor Paolo.”
“Who?” I asked, cocking my head.
Mamba raised one perfectly shaped brow and jerked his chin over to where Bear and Apollo were. “Paolo, my business partner for this club.”
“Oh, huh, what a small world,” I commented, flicking my fingers as if to dust off my shorts. “You know I don’t think we’ve exchanged names.”
Mamba shifted to stand in front of me, blocking my view of Bear and Apollo. The scent of his cologne was so thick it almost choked me. He wore a black suit with red vipers stitched on one half, leaving the other half blank. If there was one thing about Mamba I could always count on it was his impeccable fashion sense. Slowly, he reached out and brushed a finger over the raw pink scar on my forehead I’d gotten from the car bomb.
“You really should see my surgeon before that heals much more. It’s just wrong to have such a stunning face be marred with a scar unnecessarily," Mamba murmured.
A hand shot out and grabbed Mamba’s arm then yanked it away from my face, which shocked both Mamba and myself.
“Don’t. Fucking. Touch. Her.” Apollo snarled, stepping between us. “I will share my business, liquor, and money with you. However, my treasure is off-limits.”
The calm bemused look on Mamba’s face shifted to something far more sinister. “What did you just say to me?”
“You’re a smart man, I’m sure you can figure it out without me needing to repeat myself,” Apollo quipped, then turned to face me. “Treasure, I think it’s best for you and the others to head back. It appears my business partner and I need to go over a few things.”
I frowned at the drastic change in Apollo’s tone now he was talking to me. Not to mention the ballsy move he pulled turning his back to a mobster, who was known to be rather petulant when being ignored.
“Don’t you fret your little head about anything,” Apollo said, tapping the end of my nose with his finger. “This won’t have any effect on your dealings with Mambo Number Five.”
I couldn’t hold back the bark of laughter hearing Apollo’s nickname for the crime boss. “You really do have a death wish, don’t you?”
“Nonsense, I told you the only person who’s allowed to kill me is you, my treasure,” Apollo reminded, then leaned in and kissed me as if it was completely normal between us and winked. “Now off you go, I won’t be too long, but don’t wait up for me.”
“Why would I bother to wait up for you, when you have no idea where I’m staying?” I whispered, then signaled Bear and Erik to follow me. “Let’s blow this joint.”
Bear hesitated for a second then purposely slammed into Apollo’s shoulder as he passed by with a warning growl. I didn’t look back, whatever drama Apollo created was on him, and I wanted nothing to do with it. Mamba might be a stubborn asshole who didn’t take no for an answer, but ultimately the man wasn’t a threat to me. I welcomed Mamba’s money and business, but in this relationship, he was the one who needed me. Let’s just hope Mamba remembered that after he killed his so-called business partner.
“Ah, are you sure it’s a good idea to walk away?” Erik asked once we’d rounded the corner to the main street. “Doesn’t bird brain have information you need about your family and his twin?”
“Call it a test of sorts. If Apollo survives and doesn’t ruin my dealings with Mamba then I might take him a little more seriously. On the other hand, if he ends up dead, well, that’s the way it was always supposed to end,” I explained, then grinned at Erik. “You know, like how things were with you when you first showed up.”
“Really, little siren, I just showed up all on my own?” Erik teased. I paused and gave him a look which had him throwing up his hands in surrender. “Yep, it’s all coming back to me now, how could I ever forget my warm welcome into your lair.”
“Shut up and get in the car.” I sighed, yanking open the car door.