AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Moving his legs, I sit up so I can face him. “More than I can say. It’s something unknown. I’m thirty-seven, Abel. I’ll be starting over at a late stage in my life. That’s scary. I’ve never …” I turn away from him and flop back on the couch. “I’ve never been in a situation like this. What if I’m terrible at everything but what I do now?”
Abel doesn’t move closer to me, which I’m grateful for, but I also want him to. I need my space, but I want him in it as well. What the hell? He does adjust his body, so he’s facing me more fully, and says, “That’s a part of life for a lot of us. We don’t know what we’re going to do or if we’ll be successful. All we can do is try. You can try anything you like and when you find that special something that’s meant for you to do, you do that to the best of your ability. Whatever you do, Savage, you’ll be great. Besides,”—Abel pokes me in the side, making me jump and smile over at him—“you have enough money to retire early. Find a hobby. Read all day. Walk naked on somebody’s beach. For someone like you, the world is open, and the sky is the limit. Take advantage of that.”
For Abel to be so young, he is really smart. Really wise. He speaks sense. I’m putting unnecessary pressure on myself right now. I haven’t even wrapped up the business yet and I’m already thinking about failing. For someone that doesn’t have money at his disposal like I do, Abel isn’t stressing about his future. He’s taking everything day by day. I need to be more like him.
Turning to look at him, I surprise myself when I ask, “You want to go on a date with me?” The slow smile that stretches his face is totally worth how hard my heart is hammering in my chest.
Then it drops and my heart squeezes. “What about your enemies? If you’re seen with me …” He chews on his bottom lip, eyes filling with fear. I get it. He sees the reminder every day of what the Russians did to me. They haven’t tried again in seven years. That could mean they’re either making so much money they’ve decided to leave me alone or they’re playing the long game, trying to strategically set themselves up to take me out and take over my business. The latter is probably closer to the truth.
I smile sadly at him, hating that I can’t just take him out at the drop of a hat. But I have a plan brewing. I’ll need Quin and Michael’s help to make it work though. “I won’t put you in any danger, Abel. Ever.” I try to impress that upon him through my tone as much as possible. I won’t intentionally put him in any danger, and I’ll try my best to shield him from my world.
He nods, then gives me that smile I love so much. “Then yeah, Savage. I’d love to go on a date with you.”
I pull him to me and give him a soft kiss. “Good. Finish your book. Want to sleep with me tonight?” I really am surprising myself.
Abel must think so too because his eyebrows shoot up quickly. The only time we slept together was the night of the thunderstorm, but that was more because he felt too good for me to let him go and I wanted to make sure it didn’t storm anymore and he get frightened. And his voice was so sweet when he asked if he could stay. No way I would have turned that down. Now? This is because I want to feel his warm body against mine. Not even for sex. He just makes me feel like everything will be okay when I’m holding him. I want that tonight.
It doesn’t take long for him to school his expression and answer me. “Uh, yeah. I’ll sleep with you. If that’s what you want.”
“That’s what I want. I have a meeting this evening that will run late. You have class tomorrow?”
“An afternoon class. So, it’s fine if you wake me up when you get in.”
I shake my head. “Just go to my room when you’re ready for bed.” Again, his eyebrows go up. Am I really acting out of character? I mean, he’s been here for months, we’ve fucked twice and I haven’t asked him to sleep with me outside of that.
Yes. Yes, I am acting out of character.
Shaking my head to clear it, I look down at Abel sitting on my favorite chair in my favorite room enjoying one of my favorite books. He’s perfect. More perfect that I deserve, but for now, he’s mine. I’ll enjoy his company, in and out of my bed until our year is up. “Will you wait in my bed for me to get back?”
He nods and I smile at him. After sliding on my shoes on, I leave the library. If I stay any longer, I’ll be liable to skip this meeting and take him to bed now.
I hate these meetings but we need to work together for the time being. I hate that I’m sitting in this conference room full of fat, old men who puff on cigars indoors when I could be at home snuggled in bed with Abel.
We’ve been meeting for the past few years to discuss the Russians. As I thought earlier, they were playing the long game. Some shipments have come up missing and clients aren’t happy. Well,myclients are still happy. The happiness of the other bosses’ clients isn’t my problem or concern, but as a boss myself I guess I should care a little.
Normally we’d be enemies, but a few of the bosses have banded together against the Russians so we can try to either eliminate them, take over their territory, or hold them at bay. Nothing is working and I will not give my life to make it happen. I’d rather jump ship and let them have it. Not a thought I had a year ago, but with every day that passes, the more strongly I feel about it.
Jake, an older boss from Philly, pipes up first. “They took the shipment I had coming in from Mexico. The guns and the coke. Nothing left. My guys? Dead on the side of the road. I know it was those fucking guys because they left these scattered around.” He tosses a bottle cap on the table. It’s for a Russian vodka not sold in the United States. That’s been their calling card when they do a hit. Over the past few years, all of us have found one when we located our men. They’ve only killed Ted from my crew, but everyone else has suffered heavy losses.
I know why. While they’re a pain in my ass, the Russians aren’t stupid. They know, eventually, the other bosses are going to wonder why no one from my crew has been taken out, why I haven’t gotten any of my shipments stolen. They’re trying to make us distrust each other more than we already do and our truce will crumble. I’m surprised the other bosses haven’t thought of it yet.
Of everyone seated in this large, smoke-filled room, my operation is the most lucrative because it’s been around the longest. My grandfather came over from Italy and started from the ground up and my father strengthened it and I’m working off his contacts. I’ve had the same loyal customers they’ve had who will continue to spend money with me. Whoever gets my territory will be wealthy.
It pays for the Russians to make me a target. Once I’m taken out, these guys will fight for my spot, knocking each other off. All the enemy has to do is sit back and wait. I’m not sure what I can do to assure them I’m not in league with those fucking guys, but I’ll have to do it fast or I won’t have a chance to see what life is like outside of organized crime and paranoia.
I scoop up the bottle cap and turn it over in my hands. My father found one just like it when they spotted the tire tracks from my accident. There were no Russians around before we left, so they must have chanced upon the scene to leave their calling card. Holding it in my hands is making me want to vomit, but I have to be stronger than that. Especially in front of all the bosses. They already have their ideas about me because I prefer the company of men. Don’t want to compound it by having a panic attack, which is why I grabbed the damn thing in the first place. I can’t show fear.
Marcello, a fellow Italian but of the older generation, mutters in a heavily accented voice, “They took all of my shipment weeks ago. It’s been hell to cover the cost. I say we get together and take ‘em all out.” He spits on the floor in disgust, a terrible habit of his when he’s not happy. I see Quin frown at him, like he wants to wring his neck for being disgusting, and I suppress a smile.
Before I can speak up, the last of the old, fat men, Jorge, the Columbian boss, slams a fist on the table. “I’m sick of these fucking Russians. More and more of my clients are going to them because I don’t have the product when they need it. They lift my shit, then sell it for half the price. It’s all profit for them since they didn’t pay for the fucking shipment to pass through customs. I say we take them all out!”
Here’s my chance. The chance to get out. The chance to put my plan into motion without it being suspicious. And the chance to take the heat off me since nothing has gone wrong with my business. Thank God these old fuckers are so bloodthirsty.
Quietly and measured, I say, “I have an idea for that. But it’ll take time.” I have their attention and not because I haven’t lost any shipments. They want the Russians gone as much as I do. I want to go with them, but not by way of the grave like they will.
“We’re listening,” Jorge says, puffing on his cigar. I hate the smell of cigars. Abel is going to hate it on me, I know it. It takes self-control not to wave a hand in front of my face.
Just as Quin laid it out to me, I lay it out for the bosses in more superficial terms. I leave out my, Quin, Michael, and possibly Abel’s involvement. They just need to know I might have a way to get rid of the problem. “It won’t be quick. It’ll probably take another few months to get everything together and be sure my intel is correct. But when it is, they’ll be taken care of.”
