CHAPTER NINE
Bones
ARIANA WAS SO fucking wet. I stuck my tongue inside her, lapping up her sweet juices as my cock throbbed, begging to be inside her. She moaned, fisting the sheets, and I plunged two fingers inside her as my tongue continued to work her clit.
“Yes! Oh God!
She bucked off the bed, driving my fingers deeper inside her. I curled them to hit her g-spot and licked faster and harder until she unraveled around my fingers. While her body was still coming down from the orgasm, I wrapped up my cock and thrust it inside her.
She gasped, her big brown eyes snapping open to find me as her tight pussy squeezed around me. Nothing had felt so good in my life. Afraid I’d shoot my load early, I stilled inside her and kissed her neck before drifting down to suck one perfect nipple into my mouth. She writhed beneath me while I got myself under control. Then I picked up the pace.
“Yes! Oh God, Bones, don’t stop!”
She nipped at my neck, bit my shoulder, raked her nails down my back. The pain spurred me on, making me want to punish her. Making me want her to punish me more. I flipped her over and situated her ass in the air, so I could pound into her from behind. She was so damn beautiful. From her long, dark hair to her lean, sexy back. The way her nice ass and perfect hips tapered to her narrow waist. Her soft, perky breasts that filled up my hands and then some. The way she dropped her head to the mattress and welcomed me deeper, reaching around to play with my balls as I stroked her clit.
We came together, our individual moans and curses of pleasure blending into a duet. My ears popped, and my vision blurred as I pulled out, got rid of the condom, and collapsed beside her on the bed. Breathing heavily, she draped an arm and a leg over me.
“Stay?” she asked.
Pretty sure I couldn’t move if I wanted to, I nodded.
She kissed me on the nose, and then we both drifted off to sleep.
* * *
The next morning, my phone woke me. Ariana was still halfway draped over my body, so I slid out from beneath her and went to the living room to dig in the pockets of my jacket. I’d missed a call from Angel’s cousin, Renzo. Dropping my voice, I slipped into the kitchen to make coffee as I returned his call.
“Bones, I need you at my back for about an hour. You got time now?”
Like most of the family, Renzo only ever took me in on a job if he needed extra muscle, or if he wanted a witness outside of his team. I had my own shit to do—like finding Joey Durante so Carlo would stop breathing down my neck—but I could spare an hour. I glanced at the clock on the stove. It was a little after seven a.m. “Yeah, man. I’m good. Do you want me to meet you somewhere?”
“Nah. I’m close. I’ll pick you up in about ten.”
I hung up and dressed before heading back to my place for a quick shower and a change of clothes. By the time I got downstairs, one of the family’s black SUVs, customized with tinted windows and safety features not found in typical off-the-lot vehicles, was idling in front of the complex doors, kicking out exhaust into the crisp morning. Renzo had one of his security guards—a wiseguy by the name of Paul O’Brian—in the passenger’s seat, so I climbed in the back. Since it was just me, Renzo, and Paul, I figured I’d be needed as more of a witness than muscle. Still, I removed my Glock from its holster and flicked the safety off before sliding it back into the holster.
Renzo parked behind a small restaurant not far from the strip and studied his phone. “Our mark’s name is Jimmy. He’s alone in a booth on the northwest corner.” His tone was angry, and his words were clipped, as he punched the keys of his phone. “He’s angled so he can see all entrances, but I just sent him a distraction. Bones, you and I will go in while Paul stays behind.”
Since Jimmy was alone, taking more than one guard would make Renzo appear weak. Since he needed me as a witness, he’d leave his normal guard behind. Paul didn’t look happy, but he understood how this shit worked. We all did. The families were all about politics, posturing, and perception.
“Warn or whack?” I asked.
“Just watch. I’ll handle it.”
Renzo’s jaw tensed, betraying how pissed he was. This job had to be personal. Wondering who this Jimmy fool was, I followed Renzo to the back door of the restaurant. He tapped twice, and a waitress let us in. We hurried through a dirty kitchen that smelled of pancakes, bacon, and sausage into a darkened dining room with the shades drawn against the rising sun. The muted light made it easy to find the booth in the northwest corner. A waitress stood with her back to us, coffeepot in hand, partially blocking a man wearing a blue cap. I couldn’t see anything below the cap, which meant Jimmy couldn’t see us, either.
The booths on either side of Jimmy’s were empty. Diner traffic this early was low, but there were still enough tourists to get a possible witness on the stand. Wondering how Renzo planned to play this out, I followed as he slid into the seat across the table from Jimmy and leveled a gun at him. The waitress excused herself and I took her spot, standing to block the view of onlookers.
Jimmy looked familiar. He was in the middle of taking a bite of his waffle, and it took him a second to figure out what was going on. When he finally homed in on the gun in Renzo’s hand, he stiffened, and the color drained from his face. Then he slowly lowered the fork back to his plate and offered Renzo a sickly smile.
“Ren. Hey man, I’ve been looking for you. My phone broke and I—”
“Cut the shit, Jimmy,” Renzo said, gesturing at the phone on the table. “I tracked you through that, you dumbass. Thought you’d never leave the house. I’m glad you did so I didn’t have to go in there after you.”
Renzo filched a piece of bacon from Jimmy’s plate and stuffed it in his mouth. “Goddammit, I can’t believe you put me in this position,” he said around bites. “Of all the low-life, scum-sucking, bottom-feeding bastards out there, she had to choose you.”
Sweat beaded across Jimmy’s forehead. “You gotta listen to me,” he pleaded. “I… I made a bad bet, but I’m workin’ my ass off to get the money, I promise. I’d have it for you now, but Ellie has to get braces and my insurance doesn’t—”
“Shut the fuck up!” Renzo snapped. He shoved the last bite of bacon into his mouth and then wiped his hands on a napkin. “Stop using my niece as an excuse to be a fuckin’ loser.”
What? His niece? That meant Jimmy had to be Isobel’s husband, and therefore Renzo’s brother-in-law. No wonder he looked familiar, Angel and I had been at their wedding. I swore under my breath as all the pieces clicked together. No wonder Renzo was pissed.
“You should have made wiser bets,” Renzo said between gritted teeth. “I told Isobel not to marry you. I can’t believe I let her talk me into throwing you some business. You got my ass called to the carpet, and now I have to deal with you or appear weak to the family. You left me no goddamn choice.”
Jimmy’s eyes practically bugged out of his head. It would have been comical if the situation weren’t so deadly. “W-w-what do you mean, deal with me?”
Renzo gave him a flat stare. “What the fuck do you think I mean?”
“You c-c-can’t. Isobel will n-n-never forgive you.”
Renzo calmly slid his gun back into his pocket and pulled on a pair of gloves. When he was finished, he leveled his weapon back at Jimmy, and said, “Search him, Bones.”
Taking my cue from Renzo, I released the grip on my holstered Glock to pull on the gloves I carried in my jacket before frisking Jimmy and relieving him of his Beretta 92, which I then passed to Renzo.
“Now pick up your phone and text my sister. Tell her you screwed up and you’re sorry. Tell her you can’t live with the guilt anymore.”
Jimmy’s eyes went wide. “N-no.”
“Think, Jimmy. Don’t make this harder than necessary. I can still protect her and Ellie, but I can’t protect you. You made damn sure of that when you screwed over my family. Pick up the fucking phone and be a goddamn man for once in your pathetic life.”
Hands shaking, Jimmy did as he was told. His fingers flew over the face of the screen as he composed the message.
“Show it to me,” Renzo demanded.
Jimmy held up the phone. Renzo scanned the screen and nodded. “Send it.”
Jimmy hit the send key and showed Renzo again.
“Ren, it doesn’t have to be this way. You know I’m good for it. Just give me a little more time.”
Renzo’s eyes narrowed. “You know I don’t make the rules, and mercy isn’t mine to give. I told you how it would be if you didn’t come through. I warned you not to fuck with the family.” He pulled out his own phone and thumbed a message.
“No, Ren, don’t do this.” Jimmy turned from Renzo to me, searching for hope.
I had none to give him.
The building’s fire alarm pealed, deafening in its steady screech. Renzo tensed. Ignoring our booth, waitresses herded diners toward the exits.
Renzo scooted around to Jimmy’s side of the booth. He grabbed Jimmy’s hand and positioned it on the Beretta, raising it to Jimmy’s temple. Jimmy struggled, but Renzo quickly overpowered him and squeezed the trigger. Jimmy’s body jerked. Blood and tissue coated the wall behind him. Jimmy’s gun fell to the seat. Renzo pushed past me and walked back toward the way we’d entered.
Behind us, Jimmy’s cell phone rang, the happy tune competing with the high-pitched squeal of the fire alarm. It was probably Isobel, freaking out about his text.
By the time we reached the kitchen, the staff had been evacuated. No witnesses. Even had they seen us, no local would be stupid enough to testify. Not in this city. Not unless they wanted to end up just like Jimmy. We escaped through the back door. In the chaos, nobody noticed two wiseguys slinking out of the supposedly burning building. Nothing out of the ordinary for Vegas.
We made it back to Renzo’s SUV before his phone buzzed. He took the call and put it up to his ear. “Hey Izzy, you’re up early. Everything okay?”
As Renzo assured his sister he’d find Jimmy and make sure the chooch was okay, I watched out the back window. The restaurant where Jimmy sat with a hole in his head disappeared behind us as we turned the corner.
Eyes full of torture and frustration, Renzo dropped me off in front of my building and took off. It was still early, and I thought about going upstairs and climbing back into bed with Ariana. After what I’d just witnessed, I could use the press of her soft body and the distraction of her warm mouth and tight pussy.
But I had shit to do, so instead, I had the valet bring my Jeep around. As I waited, I got the feeling I was being watched. Ducking behind a pillar, I checked out the area, but didn’t see anyone. The feeling didn’t go away, and by the time I climbed behind the wheel, the hair on the back of my neck was standing up. Worried, I called Angel. He answered and confirmed that he and Markie were both fine.
I hung up and called Ariana.
“You left,” she said, still sounding half asleep.
“Work.”
“Damn. I was kind of hoping we could go for round two.”
That idea had serious potential and had me once again wanting to head upstairs. “Maybe later. What time do you work today?”
“I’m off.”
“All right.” I rubbed a hand through my hair, glancing around. The feeling of being watched had gone away, but I still kept a look out. “Our date with the gym will have to wait.”
“Oh, darn,” she said, not sounding the least bit upset.
I chuckled. “Promise me you’ll call if you need to go anywhere?”
“I can get around this city by myself just fine. Been doing it for a year. And now I’m armed with two elbows, a cell phone, and knowledge of how to use them.” She was such a damn smartass.
“Humor me?” I asked.
She sighed. “Fine.”
I chuckled at her dramatics. “Say the words, babe.”
“I’ll call you if I need to go anywhere.”
“Good.” I went to hang up, but she called out my name to keep me on the line. “Yes?” I asked.
“Thank you for last night. I needed that.”
I smiled against the phone. “Yeah, me too.”
“We should do it again. Soon,” she offered.
My mind kept pointing out that Ariana was becoming a liability, but my body didn’t give a single fuck. Last night was supposed to be a one-time thing, but I already wanted to be deep inside of her again. I wanted her moaning against my neck and scratching the hell out of my back. I wanted her pussy squeezing my dick so hard I saw stars. I wanted her lips wrapped around my shaft.
And she wanted it, too.
But since I couldn’t make any promises, I didn’t. “I gotta get to work, Ari,” I said before hanging up. Then I tossed my phone aside, so I wouldn’t be tempted to call her back. I needed to pound pavement and find Joey.