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Prologue
“Run, Nina, run!” Brook yelled at her as they scaled the fence and continued down the side streets.
It was pitch-black between the buildings. Nina’s breath was caught in her throat, and perspiration hit her brow. She was getting tired of this damn gang and the bullies that continued to harass them.
Brook screamed out in pain as she fell forward and slammed her face on the ground. Nina stopped and pulled her up as she looked over her shoulder. She couldn’t see the other girls, but she heard their yelling and footsteps. There were more of them coming now. If they caught up, Nina and Brook were going to get their asses whipped.
“Get up. They’re getting closer,” Nina yelled at Brook, pulling her arm nearly out of her socket.
Brook was crying and gasping for breath. They hurried around the corner, not even caring whose neighborhood and territory this was. Nina was eighteen and getting tired of running for her life. Of working her ass off in restaurants and any place that would hire a kid living in a shelter. She wanted a new life. She wanted financial freedom and safety—not this crap.
“Oh, God, we need to get out of here. This is the Cuban gang’s territory,” Brook said as Nina looked around, wondering where to run to.
Brook had family involved in the gang. Nina thought that maybe they would get some protection here, but those girls who ran with the South Liberty gang were badass, and they were involved with a lot of criminal stuff. Brook was crying now and bleeding from her cheek and her shoulder.
The door to the building they stood against slammed open, nearly hitting Brook. She gasped when she saw three men there, one big guy in a suit, lighting up a cigar, and two others.
“What do we have here?” one said to them, and Nina could see him eyeing her breasts. She was well-endowed and petite. She looked away, and Brook started shaking.
“There,” they heard someone yell, and when Nina looked up, she saw the gro
up of girls watching but not coming closer. The men seemed to put the situation together, and the big guy, who had a diamond pinkie ring, gave one of the other guys a nod. Nina thought instantly the man was a boss.
“Get lost. You don’t belong around here,” he yelled to them.
“We have business with them,” one of the girls said with attitude. She seemed like the most violent and nasty of the gang.
“Not around here, you don’t. Get lost, and don’t bother these two again,” he said, shocking Nina and Brook. Brook held on to Nina’s arm.
The gang of girls looked pissed off, but they left immediately.
“You need some help,” the guy with the pinky ring said to Nina.
“No, thank you. We’re good. We just need to get back to our neighborhood. We appreciate the help,” Nina said and then assisted Brook up off the ground.
“Yes. Thank you.”
He eyed them both over but stared at Nina. “Any time. Watch your ass with those girls. They’re no good,” he warned her, his dark eyes holding hers. As he lifted the cigar to his lips, she saw the tattoo on his wrist. The black scorpion was bold, and she knew exactly who the man was. The leader of the Cuban gang.
She pulled Brook along with her, and they hurried out of the neighborhood, fear pushing them to move as quickly as they could and not let down their guard or sigh in relief until they were at the shelter and surrounded by their group of friends. Nina really needed to take the chance and get out of here, but finding a job and getting her own place would take a miracle. She couldn’t go on like this. Sooner or later, the gang, or the pimps were going to make their move and win.
Chapter 1
Nina Fay was doing the rounds at Bailey’s when she noticed a couple of big guys at the bar. A fast-paced song with a lot of bass rocked out on the speakers. It was crowded, as usual, with the typical patrons, businessmen, women, people with money and the attitudes to boot. Chicago had a handful of great clubs and Bailey’s was number one on the list. It was a hell of a lot better than the crime-infested shit hole she was forced to work in years ago.
She glanced toward the two big guys again who stood out more than the others they seemed to be talking with. They were enjoying themselves, chatting up a storm, and one of them had a loud, deep laugh. Her eyes grazed over the backside of the one big guy who had his back facing her. He was trim and muscular, his shirt tight and making it appear like his muscles begged to tear free from the confinement of the black long-sleeve shirt he wore. It fit him snugly and was tucked in neatly against a similarly slim-fitting pair of dark jeans held up by a black belt that accentuated how in perfect physical condition he was in. His hair was very short, military, just like that of the few men who surrounded him. She figured they were all military and perhaps friends of Zinc, who had disappeared from the bar area.
She enjoyed the view and let her mind think about the life she wished she had and the opportunities that were never laid at her feet. Sure, she had money now, a professional career, a future that seemed bright, but she still felt all alone, desperate for a connection other than acquaintances. She had been forced to make some shitty choices to survive, but she’d at least held on to her morals, for the most part. Despite the need to feel loved, appreciated, or even human, she still felt her fears of abandonment and betrayal, and all the hardships held power over her and kept her from taking chances. Especially with her body and her heart.
She sighed as she glanced around the room and caught sight of Paulie, one of the regulars who constantly tried to ask her out. Although, Nina really thought he was harmless. It was just a game and he liked to flirt He gave her a wink and then nodded for her to come over. He was sitting with a few friends. Nina didn’t know what his deal was, but as a regular and one with clout because of the bosses, she showed respect. She understood how the system worked. She learned quickly to keep her mouth shut, her eyes open, and to not mix business with pleasure. Not that ever she was tempted to, but holding on to her virginity was a way to feel control and power because everything else in her life was out of her control or under the thumb of those above her.
She didn’t want to go over, but as the manager of the club, she had to ensure that certain patrons got the treatment or, minimally, some respect. Paulie was one of them, and she wondered why. He was a good-looking guy, older, very mysterious in a way, but it was the fact that he watched her and always showed up when she was working that made her edgy, distrustful. As Nina made her way through the crowd and passed the guys she had been watching, she couldn’t help but be interested in seeing the face that belonged to that sexy, muscular body she enjoyed staring at. As she passed by, a couple of rowdy guys were cheering at something and bumped right into her. She felt her heel twist and then gasped, reaching out to grab hold of what she could, but then she felt a strong, muscular arm go around her waist and pull her against a hard chest.
“Hey, asshole, you nearly knocked the young woman over,” someone yelled.
She glanced up at the big guy in front of her with scruff along his face as he scolded the men who’d knocked into her. She couldn’t help looking toward the man holding her, the one whose face she had wanted to see. As she locked gazes with gorgeous hazel eyes and saw his firm jaw, she felt his hands smooth along her waist as he pulled her between him and the bar. The man’s expression was serious as he looked Nina over.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She had to snap out of the fog she was in and stop staring at the hunk of a man. She gripped his arms and gently pushed.
“I’m good. Thank you.” She looked at the other men who were giving shit to the guys who bumped into her. The latter group was apologizing, and she was nodding in acceptance when she went to move toward them and head through the crowd.
“Thanks,” she said again, but he didn’t release her.
Instead, he stared down into her eyes and looked over her face as if he were memorizing every bit of it, and then her lips. She swallowed hard and gained back the attitude she always used to guard herself.
“I’m good, so you can release me now,” she said nicely.
He nodded and then stepped back, but not before he licked his lips and glanced over her breasts.
“Good thing we were here to rescue you,” the other guy with the scruff along his face said as he gave her hip a nudge.
Nina moved from against the bar and away from the two men to stand facing the rest of the club. “Yes, thank you,” she said, and when she started to walk away, another group of people were going by. She would have been bumped into again, but she felt the guy with the hazel eyes place his arm around her waist and pull her closer.
“You may want to stay right here in the safety of my presence. I would hate to see something happen to such a pretty young woman like yourself.” He was flirting.
She chuckled.
“I think I’ll be just fine, but thank you for your concern.” She pushed down against his forearms and felt him inhale against her hair.
“Nina, you okay, doll? Saw those jerks bump into you,” Jake, the bartender, said.
She looked at him and gave a nod. “I’m good, Jake. Why don’t you get these men a drink on me?” Jake nodded, and then she looked at the guy with the hazel eyes. “Thanks again.” She turned to walk away.
As she headed over toward Paulie, she couldn’t help but to glance over her shoulder. Sure enough, the guy with the hazel eyes was watching her, and he grinned at the fact that she looked back at him.
“Nina, you look as beautiful, as always. Come join me for a drink,” Paulie said to her, then took her hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed the top of it.
She smiled softly, knowing she needed to play her role as the manager and make sure that Paulie was happy.
“One drink. Then I have business to attend to.”
Paulie glanced past her to the bar.
He squinted his dark brown eyes, and then he looked back at Nina, letting his gaze roam over her face and breasts He was an attrac
