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“What are you talking about?”
“I seem to remember you knew a little bit about cars, right?”
My head was throbbing in the spot where he kicked me. The pain radiated down my jawline. “Yeah, what about it? I did some work in an auto shop when I was a kid.”
“You know how to hot wire a car too, don’t you? I think I heard you mention that before as well.”
“Who the hell cares? Is this going somewhere?”
I moved to stand up and the room got tense. The big meathead in the ill-fitting suit took a step toward me and Ortiz tapped the butt of the gun with his fingertip.
“I’m getting some water,” I said. “If you’re gonna shoot me for having a dry mouth, then you’re probably gonna kill me anyway, so let’s just get on with it.”
“Go ahead,” he grumbled, motioning toward my kitchen.
“How the fuck did you guys get in here, anyway? That big son of a bitch doesn’t look like he can do anything quietly. He even breaths like a stuck moose.”
“I’ll stick you, ya little prick,” he growled.
“Enough,” shouted Ortiz. “It doesn’t matter how we got in here, but what does matter is the job you’re gonna do for me. Don’t worry, you’ll be paid well for it. Five grand.”
Five thousand dollars was a lot of money. It could make a real difference for me right now. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t at least do a double take when I heard the number. “Not happening,” I said. “I already told you, I’m done with that stuff. Sorry I didn’t answer the phone, I could have saved ya’ll a trip down here.”
I pressed a palm into the counter top and drank down a cool glass of water. It was the best thing I’d ever tasted in my life.
“I must not be making myself clear,” said Ortiz. “You don’t have a choice in the matter.” He stepped behind me. I resisted the urge to wheel around and swing on him. “So, you better open your ears and pay attention.”
I turned to face him. His two men circled around to either side of us. “What is it?”
He dipped his head and stepped back. “I thought you’d see it my way. As you are probably aware, my crew has been in a fight for territory with a group who currently controls the Westhaven neighborhood.”
“How exciting,” I said dryly.
“Yeah, well, my counterpart in the Westhaven group is a fucking amateur named ‘Money’.”
Money? Jesus Christ, the guy’s name is Money? I needed to go back to sleep.
Anyway, he has been testing my patience pretty hard lately. We’re looking to hit back—you know, slow their roll a little bit. They need to know that nobody takes from Damon Ortiz without out there being consequences.”
“I probably sound like a broken record at this point but, again, what the fuck does this have to do with me?”
“I’ll get to the point,” he said. “Money drives around town in a custom classic Mustang. He treats that car like it’s his life.”
“So?”
“So, you’re gonna steal it for us.”
The hell I was.
I folded my arms and stared him down.
“I’ve wanted to get that car away from him for as long as he’s had it. Personally, I don’t give a damn about the thing—I like brand new rides—but to see him take that hit would do a lot. And when Eddie reminded me about how good you were with cars… it just seemed like a match made in heaven.” He turned to each of his guys and they laughed with him on cue.
I needed to remember to punch Eddie in the stomach the next time I saw him.
“That’s all,” he said. “Now, was that so hard?” They were the same words Riley had used the other night. The irony wasn’t lost on me.
Ortiz grabbed the pistol and pulled it free. I didn’t blink. “Also, you might need this,” he said, slamming it down on the counter next to me. “Take care of it because I want it back after the job is done.”
“That’s if I do it,” I said.
“Oh, you’ll goddamn do it,” he said, “because if I have to come back here again, my next visit isn’t going to be nearly so pleasant. Remember, Eason, we did you a favor by putting you on the payroll when you lived on the street. Now, it’s your obligation to repay your debt.”
The three of them filed out of my apartment into the early morning blackness. Stopping at the threshold, Ortiz looked back. “On your table is a sheet of paper with the description of the car and the street he normally parks it on. Don’t fuck this up.”
Riley
I couldn’t wait until our next meeting, I had to speak to him. The uncertainty in it was killing me. I didn’t know what was going to happen, and that didn’t sit well with me. The best thing to do was get everything out on the table and handle it like adults.
I rapped out three quick knocks just below the hanging number on his door.
“…Hi.” It was as much of a question as it was a greeting.
“Hey,” I said. “Do you have a few minutes to talk? It’s about the other night.”
Troy’s eyes flared and I knew this wasn’t going to be easy. “Sure,” he answered. “Come on in.”
“I thought we weren’t meeting until next week,” he said, his back to me as he led me inside.
“I know, but something has been bothering me.”
He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Above his brow on the left side was a small bruise that I could only guess came from one of his workouts.
“What’s up?” he asked. “Do you need to make sure I’m really living here again?”
“Troy, stop it. I’m being serious.”
His phone chirped and he walked to the table to check it. “Hold on a second,” he said. Then, he disappeared around the corner to his bedroom and began a quiet conversation with someone on the other end of the line. I decided to take a look around.
The simple way his apartment was organized didn’t reflect the complex guy that he was. Along the far wall was a plain grey sofa that had three large cushions. Next to it, was a small table that fit just into the space before the wall. On the table was a picture of a girl he’d never spoken about.
Directly across from the sofa was a small television on a black stand. Other than a few plants and a bookcase that was stuffed to capacity, that was it. I hadn’t really looked it over the last time I came by, but it didn’t appear that he spent much time here. That part did make sense. Troy was the kind of guy who had to keep moving.
“Can I get you something to drink?” he said, popping back into the room.
Watching him try to play the role of host was adorable, if not a little awkward. “I’m fine, thanks.”
I let him lead the way to the sofa. I sat down first, on the far cushion, and he situated himself with enough of a buffer between us that I didn’t get too nervous.
Troy took a long drink from his bottle of beer, then set it on the coffee table. “I’m listening.”
“You’re gonna make this hard, aren’t you?”
“I’m not trying to,” he said. “You wanted to talk, and I said I’d listen, so that’s what I’m doing.”
As I sat there looking at him, everything I’d prepared in my head disappeared. He had an obvious effect that left me tongue tied. I knew that if I tried to say anything, it would come out as word salad. So, I did all that I could, which was sit and stare.
I was crazy for coming back here and thinking I wouldn’t fall into this trap again. It was getting harder and harder to reject what I was feeling.
The corner of his mouth ticked and I knew I wasn’t alone. That same chemistry we found the other night was back, and it was just how I remembered it. He was feeling the effects, too.
We each shifted in our seats at the same time to say something. Our knees bumped together and that ignited a spark which neither one of us could deny. There was no turning back now.
Troy faced me and I saw my own reflection in his gold-rimmed eyes. My hair was in place, aside from a few exhausted strands that had pulled free and wrapped themselves
harmlessly under my chin.
As if he could read my mind, Troy captured one of the strands between his thumb and finger, and tucked it back behind my ear. Both of us knew we should say something, but I don’t think he could find the words either. It was the first time that I really saw who he was.
His minty breath blew between his pursed lips and reached my skin with a cold tickle. I tucked my ear to my shoulder and that was the moment he chose to attack. Exposing my neck like that triggered the animal instinct in him to pounce.
He jabbed my collarbone with his hungry tongue and dragged it the length of flesh all the way up to the lobe of my ear. His teeth sunk gently into it and he tugged. The warmth that was his mouth, combined with the eagerness of his teeth, made it damp between my legs.
My hand fell to his lap, landing on the curved bulge of his jeans. In that moment, all I could think of was the fact that I needed to give him pleasure. It could have been the rush of committing to such a dangerous act, or maybe it was because I was so incredibly attracted to him, but I had to have in my mouth.
I slithered away from Troy at a snail’s pace. Breaking from his kiss was one of the hardest things to do. He let me slip in between his legs and press over his swelling cock. He put his hands around my shoulders and gently massaged me as I unzipped him.
“Take your shirt off,” I begged. I wanted to see just how much I could make the muscles in his stomach tighten up when I closed my mouth around him.
