AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Well, T isn’t here, now, is he? And the only way he’s going to find out is if one of you gossips tells him.” I point from Neo to the other four men standing behind him quietly, all averting their eyes and trying not to look my way. “And besides, if T has a problem with how I dress, he can come here and tell me himself.” That gives me an idea. I’m super pissed that he hasn’t been answering my messages today. In actuality, I’m more concerned than pissed, but I’m trying to harvest the angry feelings so I don’t break down. I grab my phone from my purse and hand it to Reilly. “I’m going to need a photo,” I say as I pose seductively. I turn around with my back to the camera and pull my hair over one shoulder, while looking directly at the lens over the other. Then I part my lips in a small pout.
“Fuck yes!” Reilly cheers me on as she snaps away.
“I want black-dyed roses on my coffin.” Neo sighs to Sonnie.
“Sure, boss, but you know we’re all gonna go down for this, right?” He points to me. “Ma’am, are you sure you don’t want to grab a coat or something?”
“It’s thirty degrees Celsius outside. I don’t need a coat. Stop worrying. T won’t do anything to you. Despite what he may think, he’s not the boss of me.” I snatch my phone back and quickly fire off those images to Theo with the caption:Heading to the club to dance the night away. If only I had a handsome man to accompany me…
“He may not be the boss of you, but he sure as shit is the boss of us,” one of the other guys mumbles loud enough for me to hear. I choose to ignore him. I thought they were all meant to be these fearless mafia soldiers, yet here they are, scared shitless because I’m wearing a dress thatmightbe a little provocative. Okay, it’sa lotprovocative, and nothing like what I’d usually wear. But I’m not about to change now.
* * *
Why did I agree to this? Going out to nightclubs is Reilly’s thing, not mine. It’s loud, it’s dark, and it’s way overcrowded. I had a moment when I passed through the doors and froze. Neo walked straight into me, nearly pushing me over. He took one look at my face, grabbed my hand, and lead me to the VIP stairs ahead of the rest of our group. The bouncers at the top glared at me, then at Neo and our joined hands, before crossing their arms and frowning. That’s when Reilly and Bray finally caught up, and the relief on the two men’s faces was visible.
Neo sat me in one of the booths and had Sonnie order us some drinks. There was already an open bottle of champagne on the table, which Neo had picked up and discarded, muttering something about wantingit sealedandnot the cheap shit—though I’m pretty sure that was an eight-hundred-dollar bottle. I know this because Reilly, Alyssa, Sarah, and I have polished off our fair share of that same label during our nights out together.
I keep checking my phone. It’s been an hour since I sent T those photos, and he still hasn’t replied. I’m officially scared. What if something bad has happened to him? And I’m sitting here. In a nightclub.Drinking champagne. Like everything is fine in the world…
I shudder at the thought as I glance to my left. Sarah is acting strange tonight (maybe it’s just because I’ve been gone for a few weeks) but she doesn’t seem to be her usual carefree self. I keep noticing her glare at Bray and Reilly whenever they kiss or make some other disgusting public display of affection, which is every other minute with these two. Then again, it could just be transference, passing my irrational thoughts and emotions onto her. I shake my head. I think I’ve officially had too much to drink. “Let’s dance!” Sarah yells over the music. “That’s what we came here to do, right?”
“Okay,” I say, finishing the remainder of my glass. “Be a darl’ and hold this for me.” I hand my purse to Neo, who looks at it like it’s going to jump out and bite him in the ass.
“Ah, no! If you’re going down there, then guess what, buttercup? So are we.” He turns and mumbles something to the four men standing at our table. They form a circle around Sarah, Reilly, and me as we head towards the dance floor. This has to be the easiest it’s ever been to walk through a packed nightclub. Everyone shifts and makes room for us to pass. And if they don’t move, theyget movedby one of Neo’s beefy goons.
“Okay, you are crowding me too much. Just go and stand over there. Nothing is going to happen to me on the dance floor,” I say, and immediately stare at the exact spot I watched Bray get shot. Even in this dark, packed crowd, I can still see it.
“Holly, you are all right. Dance and have fun with your sister. But not as much fun as your friend there,” Neo yells into my ear, while glaring over my shoulder.
I follow his line of sight. Sarah’s already grinding on some random guy. Yeah, there’s no chance of that happening. There’s only one man I want to grind on, and he’s not bloody here.
* * *
“I’m done. I need another drink, and I need to sit down!” I tell Reilly as she dances up against me.
Her eyes widen before her face lights up. “Oh, honey, your night is only just beginning.”
That’s when I feel it: the pair of hands gripping my waist. We’ve been on this dance floor for twenty minutes, and no one has so much as tried to come up and dance with us. But I don’t need to turn around to know who’s touching me. I can feel him. I look down, and sure enough, sitting on that left hand is the ring I put there. My heart is hammering in my chest.
Did I fall and knock myself out? Is this just some cruel dream I’m going to wake up from soon? I tentatively turn around and stare up into a pair of dark eyes. His gaze runs up and down the length of my body before settling back on my face. The darkness is still there—it’s always there—but more evident than that darkness right now is the lust.
“Are you really here?” I whisper.
He doesn’t say anything. Instead, he holds my face in his hands, leans in, and claims my lips. And the moment we touch, everything else fades away. The music, the crowd, the stench of alcohol and sweaty bodies. It all disappears. Right along with that unnerving sadness that’s been eating away at me. Having T’s mouth on mine, being in his arms right now, it’s like I can finally breathe again.
Tears roll down my cheeks. I’m pretty sure they’re happy tears, or tears of relief. Because I know that he’s okay, that he’s in one piece. I pull back and take his hand. I need to get him alone.And fast.
ChapterEighteen
I’m on my way to Holly when I get her text.All of her texts.I didn’t have cell service in the air, and by the tone of her messages, she doesn’t like my lack of response. Not one bit. But it’s the last attachment that has my blood boiling. The photos she sent in some dark-green dress—not that I’d call that thing a fucking dress. What the fuck was she thinking, wearing that out in public? Better yet, what the fuck wasNeothinking,lettingher wear that out in public? Heads are going to fucking roll when I see them. She was headed to that nightclub her in-laws own. And she’s already there, judging by the time stamp. “Change of plans. Take me to The Merge. You know it?”
The driver Neo sent to pick me up nods his head. “Sure thing, boss.”
I should have gotten his name, but all I can think about is seeing Holly. And fucking covering up all of that delicious skin of hers. I call Neo to let him know I’m on my way. “Boss?” he yells. I can barely hear him over the music.
“I’ll be there soon. Make sure no one gets within two fucking feet of her, Neo, or it’s your fucking funeral. What the fuck is wrong with you? How could you let her out of the house like that?”
“Ah, not sure if you know your own fucking wife, but there is no telling that woman anything. What did you want me to do? Manhandle her? Lock her in a fucking room?”
