I used to believe the cops were stupid as fuck for listening to Danika every time she said she hadn’t seen us, or had put us in a spot we weren’t to keep us out of trouble. Later on, I’d realized it was their way of looking the other way to protect us too. Those guys had grown up on our same streets and instead of going the darker routes of our neighborhood, they’d gone the straight and narrow.
Well, mostly.
Moving to my bar, I poured a healthy glass of scotch and downed it before filling it again and walking toward the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the night sky.
As of now, the fucker Cameron Peterson was blacklisted from every establishment in the gaming world. His beloved family’s name or going to the cops wouldn’t save him from paying his debts.
The idiot had no clue making an enemy of me had lasting effects.
Cameron’s father had sent me multiple messages saying he’d pay back triple his son’s debts, if only I continued to help him with his building project.
And there was the crux of what my brothers and I did for the world. We were the middle man between legitimate society and what people would call the unsavory element. People loved to throw around words like unions and contractors and codes; they tended to forget behind all of this were people. Everyday, living-paycheck-to-paycheck, looking-for-their-next-meal people. And because I took care of these men and women, I had their loyalty, giving me the power to make or break any investment made in a territory my brothers and I ran.
I wasn’t some fucking Robin Hood. Half the shit I engaged in wasn’t technically legal, but then again, neither was the everyday sea of transactions those Wall Street boys wheeled and dealed in. The only difference between us was that I owned what I did, while they pretended they were above reproach.
Just like our boy Cameron. Dumb fuck.
I’d deal with him and his father after a night of sleep.
Setting my tumbler on a nearby table, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the ornately designed sheath and knife. It was so much lighter than I expected. Sliding the blade out of its holster, I studied the craftsmanship and shook my head. I was getting hard thinking of the fact Danika had this nestled down her breasts most of the night.
Who was I kidding? My cock hadn’t settled since her fingers had wrapped around me and urged me forward. I’d probably remain this way until I fucked her senseless or punched the shit out of someone in the ring.
Both were inevitable. Though the boxing ring looked to be the closest to coming to fruition.
Wednesday.
I’d wait until Wednesday and then Danika Dayal was going to be mine.
I’d kept my distance to protect her, and what had that gotten me? A woman who wrapped herself in secrets that could get her killed if anyone found out the truth.
Anyone meaning someone like me.
Another motherfucker like me would manipulate her, keep her, and make sure she was indebted so deep that her secrets would never reach the light of day.
For her sake, I pretended to be like everyone else and accepted the package she presented to the world.
Now that I knew how dark and deep her path went, all my noble intentions were gone.
The image of the tattoo down her spine came to mind and I shook my head.
Fuck, Danika. I will not let anything happen to you. That’s a promise.
Secrets. So many secrets.
“Did you fuck her?” an irritated voice said from the shadows to my side.
“This Phantom of the Opera shit is getting old. You can turn on the lights if you’re going to invade my space.” I kept my gaze on the blade. “And, no. I didn’t sleep with her. Not that it’s any of your business.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
“If you are going to watch the monitors like a peeping tom, then you might as well stop hiding in the shadows.”
“You’re an asshole.”
“Yeah, and what? I doubt you could do anything about it. You’re too scared of your own shadow to train with the rest of us in public.”
Kir shot toward me, slamming my back to the glass wall. “If you want a fight, I’ll give it to you.”
“Go ahead,” I said as I kept still and stared into the rage he so rarely let out. “Try me. I’ve spent most of this evening doing your job instead of spending it with Danika finding out what shit she’s been up to.”
He released me and walked back to his chair in the corner. “What the fuck do you mean by that?”
That was typical Kir. One minute he was ready to hand out a beatdown and the next, he was calm as fuck, ready to analyze the situation.
“Which part? Danika or your job?”
“Both.”
“Let’s start with your job. We need you back, not watching everything from the backend. Your presence keeps people from fucking around.”
“It’s not the right time.”
“It’s never going to be the right time.” I leaned against the window. “Then there is Danika.”
“What about her?”
“I’ve decided that she’s mine. No more waiting.”
“I swear Nik, if you hurt her, I’m going to kick your ass.”
“Be my guest.”
Kir sighed. “If Arin was around, he’d knock some sense into the both of us.”
One of the last images of Arin before he died flashed in my mind. He had a stern expression on his face, matching the serious styling of his stark gray hair. The only thing that gave any inkling of his feeling about any of us was his eyes. Hazel with light flecks of gold. They softened whenever my brothers and I entered a room.
“Definitely.”
“It’s been five years and it feels like yesterday.”
“Yeah.” I had no idea what else to say.
To Arin, we weren’t the street rats who tried to pick his pocket, but the boys who were his sons.
“Where do you think we’d be if we hadn’t decided to fleece Arin?”
“Probably dead or in jail.” I couldn’t deny the truth.
It had been fate that we decided to hustle him the very day Danika disappeared.
Well, maybe not fate but more in response to my anger at Danika for vanishing before I could collect on the kiss.
When I’d gotten to the shop to deliver the damn book, Old Man Kade, aka Agent Richard Kade, told us Danika was gone and she was never coming back.
Instead of finding out what happened to Danika, I decided it was time to fleece the wallet off the rich dick who walked the neighborhood as if he owned it. Back then, I hadn’t realized that Arin actually owned most of the properties in the area.
I’d come up with my idiot plan without thinking through any of the consequences. Kir, Sam, and Rey were supposed to distract Arin by bumping into him as they ran down the street. I’d walk by at the same moment and snatch Arin’s wallet.
It would’ve all worked out perfectly, if I hadn’t fucking tripped.
One of Arin’s bodyguards grabbed me by the neck and his other protection knocked the boys to the ground. I assumed we were going to die by the end of the night. It would have been better than to walk by the shop and not see Danika there. But as we rode in the dark limo going to a place I’d assumed would be our final resting place, Arin offered us a deal none of us expected.
He gave us the choice to go to jail, to die, or to join him and do everything he told us to do. In return, he would teach us how to work the streets without running stupid games, and we’d never have to worry about a place to live again.