Chapter 23
Callahan
SHE WAS TRYING HER best to make sure we weren’t affected by one another. I knew that.
I had been doing the same, but she’d pushed me too far with that comment.
So far, I wanted to swipe all the food off the table and eat her for breakfast instead.
I let her go get ready for the library and went to my study to call my brother. “You get your invite to the wedding?”
“Never thought you’d be asking me that before I asked you,” he said with a chuckle.
“Fuck off. Did it come?”
“Yeah, yeah. The buzz has begun. Make sure you have extra eyes on you and her. I don’t want those damn Irish trying anything,” he told me before we got off the phone.
And I made a point to have Archer with us throughout the day, along with two other security details, mostly because Archer wasn’t home some nights. I’d found his projects were getting longer, his duties for Diamonds outside of my own more apparent.
Jasmina complained bitterly as I drove through Paradise Grove to get us to the library because of it. “It’s annoying to feel like they’re following us throughout the day.”
“They are following us.”
“Because of invites?”
“Were you never targeted or watched when you were with Paolo?”
“All the time,” she said as we walked into the library. Then she grumbled, “For more than one reason, it seems. You get any more information about his trafficking?”
I sighed and nodded. “Monte and Perla aren’t going to like you changing anything, Jas.”
“Of course they’re going to,” she pushed back, having full faith in her family.
She didn’t know they were more involved than they said, that they’d been lying to her.
It was clear after I looked over the documents, but I’d have to let her see for herself.
“Paolo was always selfish and secretive. We’ll make it right … or at least stop what we can.”
I sighed. “It’s a large part of your family’s income.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning, you need to look over it all yourself. Ask Monte and Perla again … Eyes wide open this time.”
“Because you think my eyes were closed before?” She glared at me.
“I think we explain away a lot of discrepancies for our family even when they don’t deserve for us to do that.” I paused. “I did for my father. He was doing dirty deals behind our backs for years. I looked the other way, not because I wanted to but because I didn’t think my father could.”
She shook her head. “I’ll ask them again, Callahan. And you’ll see. They’ll want to make it right,” she shot back, determined. And I found I admired her stubbornness, her need to stick to her morals and not back down.
She hummed and then told me, “Get me what you know about it. I’ll ask Tía Perla and Monte later too. I’m going to go look at designers for dresses now.” She didn’t sound at all excited.
And then she rolled her eyes when I told Archer to go with her.
Too damn bad. Maybe it was overkill, but I’d learned to be safe rather than sorry.
Of course Paradise Grove was already highly protected.
The gates were manned by professionals, the community had neighborhood watch twenty-four hours a day, and every person gossiped faster than the police could about anyone new in the neighborhood.
And each corner had Hardy security cameras, technology that was state of the art. We were alerted on our watches if anything was awry. I knew even when there was so much as an unauthorized drone in our neighborhood. Every Diamond had a smartwatch that allowed for it.
And the alert that came in thirty minutes later while we were walking out of the library and back to our car was enough for me to grab Jasmina and shove her into the car before explaining myself.
I didn’t wait for my security detail as I peeled away onto the road, going fast toward my estate. “What the hell are you doing?” she screeched.
“Three men are at the gates, demanding access. They’re not authorized.”
“So? Why are we rushing home?” She frowned.
“I’m not letting them get to you.”
“Oh, you think you’re my knight in shining armor again?” She laughed. “Go to the damn entrance of Paradise Grove, Callahan.”
“No chance,” I growled.
She slammed her hand on the dashboard. “I want a look at these men. If they want to talk with both of us, you’re sure as hell not dropping me off.”
“Jasmina … no.”
“Callahan …” She mirrored my tone. “Don’t act like I’m a fragile girl who can’t hold her own. I’m about to be your wife, am I right?”
“Yes, which means I’m going to protect you at all costs.”
“What? So you can protect your stupid shareholder percentage?” she screamed.
“No, so that you’re not murdered,” I threw back.
She punched the dashboard now. “Not one of you idiotic men can ever give an ounce of respect to an equal player if she’s a woman. That’s what made me hate Paolo. And I’ll hate you just the same.”
I whipped my car over to the side of the street. “I do respect you.” I tried to explain, but her stare held so much animosity, I didn’t know what more I could say to make her understand. “It’s not about respect, Jas. It’s about keeping you safe, and—”
“Respect is equality. Treat me with it, or don’t ever expect anything more from me,” she whispered like it was a deep pain that she didn’t want to share.
And guess what my dumbass did? I listened.
Because what more could I do? She wasn’t just telling me, she was asking me. Asking me to do what men before her hadn’t, asking for more from our relationship, and I couldn’t ignore it.
I squeezed the wheel two or three times, and then said, “Don’t make me regret this, Viper, I swear to God.”
I whipped the car around and drove back through the Paradise Grove suburbs. It only took two minutes to get there. We pulled up to the gates, three of my men now standing there, armed, while three men stood on the other side, armed as well. So much for keeping up any sort of facade.
Lucille waved from the sidewalk, because of course she was out walking, and pointed to the men. “Please take care of them. It’s not a good look.”
Jasmina got out of the car in her baggy blue joggers and sweatshirt looking like she was bound to be swallowed up by her own clothing with a messy blond-and-blue bun on her head.
She was smaller than every single one of the men but walked straight up to the gate and glared at them.
“Fitzpatrick? Come to deliver your RSVP directly?”
Jesus Christ. His lip curled in pure malice. We all knew he would have liked to have her for himself. “Care to open the gate?”
She didn’t look away from him when she said with complete control, “Callahan, get them to open this gate right now.”
“Viper …” I started, but she raised her hand to stop me.
She wanted the fight, and hell if I was going to stop her. I was going to fight anyone along with her though, that was for sure. I felt the adrenaline starting, felt my instincts teeing up. It was wrong, but I still waved at the guy manning the gate. I wanted this as much as she did.
If someone had a problem with our invites, with our wedding, with us … they got to answer to me. Fitzpatrick and his two men walked through.
Yet, he didn’t say a word to her. He looked to me. “She’s more trouble than she’s worth for you Diamonds. Call the wedding off.”
“Telling my future husband to leave me?” Jasmina stepped in front of him so she got his attention.
“I deserve her instead. And she’s—”
“Watch what you’re about to say about my future wife, Fitzpatrick.” I cut him off and casually pulled my pistol from where it was tucked at my back waistline.
Yet, he didn’t seem to care who he was dealing with. And he shouldn’t have really cared at all about me. When he said, “Her family is trash and her—” she was the fastest of us all. His hand didn’t even get to his weapon before she had a knife at his neck.
I was right behind her with a gun to his fucking head too.
“Don’t talk about my family,” she said, her teeth bared.
“Callahan”—he looked at me like I was a traitor—“she’s a Ruiz. You know they owe us,” he said, shaking from being held at gunpoint and with a knife to his neck.
“Did you come on my territory to disrespect my fiancée?” I asked him, my voice just above a whisper.
I took one more step so that Jasmina’s back was at my chest, and I felt how stiff she was until I was against her. Then she leaned into me, relaxed into me, almost fucking melted into me, the knife still at that man’s throat.
I shouldn’t have come with her or entertained the conversation at all. I knew that initially, but now with her against me, I realized what a mistake I’d made.
Because even having eyes on her made me want to lose control.
And letting a monster in me out wasn’t what this community needed to see. I saw my brother pulling up behind my car, and soon the whole damn community would know about it if I couldn’t keep a lid on everything.
“Callahan, Paolo promised us ports—”
“Paolo promised things, and we took his life. You can thank the Diamonds at our next event. Until then, you come to the wedding to support us, or you will find that you don’t have our support at all.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, still shaking.
“It means my enemies are about to be Callahan’s enemies, Fitzpatrick. So stay on my good side, huh?” Jasmina told him.
“You little—” One of his men moved in a way he shouldn’t have.
Archer aimed, but I was already ready. My temper was quick, and my rage ruthless.
I pointed my pistol at his leg and pulled the trigger before he got his words out.
“Christ, Cal—” Jameson barked, and Fitzpatrick put his hands up in surrender. Jasmina rolled her eyes and dropped her knife so he could move toward his guy.
“I hit his artery.” The blood was sprayed all over me, my men, their men, and Jasmina. “He’ll live if you leave now,” I told him. Well, maybe. “Right, Jameson?”
“I mean, yeah.” Jameson winced. “Leave now, Fitzpatrick.”
Lucille was still there, now with a few other people, including my mother. “Can we include you on the guest list?” she had the audacity to yell from the sidewalk.
And that’s when Jasmina smiled and clapped once, blood droplets on her face.
“Of course we can include him, right, Fitzpatrick?” She winked at the man who was staring at Lucille in shock and then at Jasmina.
“You’ll be at the wedding at four o’clock sharp with a smile on your face. And I’m positive you won’t be late.”
They carried the injured man to their SUV and sped off.
Jasmina turned to Lucille, my mother, and a few of the others standing there. “Anybody else have a problem with the wedding?”
Even my brother shook his head no.
She went to my car door and then pointed. “Door, Callahan?”
I jumped out of my stupor and practically ran to open it for her.
She got in without so much as a thank you.
But when I got back in the car, she grabbed my shirt and yanked me over to her so that she could kiss me.
I devoured those lips, tasted the fury, the heat. And I didn’t stop when I should have.
I pulled her over onto me and let her kiss me as I shifted the car into drive and held her ass while I steered us home.
“Callahan,” she whispered and rolled her hips on me. “You shot him for me.”
“And you almost sliced Fitzpatrick’s neck for us.”
She pushed me back as I shifted the car to park in my driveway, but her center was still directly on my dick. “You excited about that, Knight?”
I ground my cock against her. “It’s not my gun against you right now, Viper. So, I think it’s obvious I’m excited.”
She nipped at my bottom lip, smiled, and then started laughing. “We’re making a freaking ruckus in this town of yours.”
I took her neck softly in my hand and pulled her close. “I can honestly say I don’t care.”
She bit her lip and stared at me, a sparkle in her eyes. “I think I’m a bad influence on you, Callahan.”
“Maybe. Or maybe you’re finally something I’m willing to fight for.”
“You’ll fight for me?” She lifted a brow. “You know, according to Fitzpatrick and almost everyone, I’m trash.”
I growled. “Your family’s sins don’t define you, Jasmina. I’m starting to think you could show me every single wild and messy part of you, and I’d still marry you. You’re the only one I want, Viper … even with your venom and your bite.”
“Sure? Let’s not forgot that I burned about a billion dollars of yours,” she said, reminding me about the building.
“So my wife has a temper that she likes to show. I can spare a couple billion.”
She scoffed and leaned in to nip my ear. “Show-off.”
I chuckled, but then she murmured, “I want you,” and my cock strained against my slacks right as someone tapped on my window.
We both glanced at my brother outside of it, and right then I wasn’t even contemplating talking to him. “Ignore him.”
She chuckled. “Or answer him?” One side of her mouth lifted as she wiggled between my legs and dropped down between them to unbuckle my slacks.
“Viper, don’t start something you can’t finish. I’m not going to come in your hand or mouth when I can have your pussy,” I hissed as her hand wrapped around my dick.
Fuck.
“Those blue diamonds on your cock now, Callahan?” All my muscles tightened as she stroked me up and down and then flicked her thumb over the metal. “Why blue?”
“Blue’s your favorite color, Viper,” I admitted, not sure if I could hide the reasoning anyway.
She bit her lip before she said, “Make sure your brother doesn’t know I’m down here.” And then she hit the window button just enough that my brother saw my eyes but not much more.
“What?” I said through clenched teeth to my brother.
“Jasmina go inside?” he asked. “What the hell are you doing? We need to discuss what just happened. Get out of the damn car.”
“Can’t.” I shook my head at him just as her mouth closed over my tip, and then she deep-throated me and I was a goner.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” my brother said, getting mad as I rolled the window back up and threw my head back and groaned.
She hummed over my cock and sucked, and I did what I said I wouldn’t do.
I finished in about two seconds flat in her mouth, and Jasmina didn’t hesitate to lick her lips after she swallowed all of me.
“Goddamn, Viper,” I groaned. “You might be the baddest and best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
She smiled and climbed back up my body before she murmured, “Good luck with your brother.” Then she hopped to her side before she tapped her chin, “Are you going to get my door, Knight?”
“Atta girl,” I told her because I liked my girl vicious and ruthless and bad.
And she fucking knew it.
My girl.
Mine.