Chapter 28

Animal

I was sitting in the chair in my room. Each of the three naked women on my bed was passed out. Satisfied. I flexed my forearms and twisted my fists until I could open my hands and stretch out my fingers. I still had my silver rings on. A request from the brunette. She liked the jewelry. I felt a smile form on my lips as the redhead started to snore. Super satisfied. This was the second night where I had to entertain. I had one text from T saying that I had to keep going as if nothing was happening. So it was another evening of entertaining, like I normally would.

If sex were the Olympics, I’d have a platter of gold medals. Maybe a bucket. My phone buzzed and I glanced at the screen. Only very few texts could come to my phone right now that I would answer.

It was from her, so I stood. I turned my back on the buffet of living porn on my bed to tilt my head over to the glowing screen lying on the side table.

T: I’m at the old mall.

And that was all she had to say. I’d been waiting for an update from her.  I flipped the lights on in the room. I started tossing the various scraps of clothing from the floor onto the naked torsos.

“Ladies! The time has come. You have all come.” They started to blink and sit up. “Marin, you came, I think, like five times.”

The redhead was the most confused. I clapped my hands loudly. “I got business, and you know the rules. No one stays overnight. Even if you can wrap your sweet, sweet ankles around your own gorgeous neck.” I gave the blonde a kiss on her shoulder.

The brunette tried to reach between my legs and I sidestepped her. It took more cajoling than I wanted, but eventually, I hustled them out the front door to the waiting Uber.

After they pulled away, I heard a snicker.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror. Nix was just to my left.

“Brother, you should be in your room living the dream. Why you got your sweet ass down here creeping on me?” I scowled at the refection like I was ready to fight him.

“Three? How many is it gonna take?” Nix raised one eyebrow with his question instead of answering mine.

I turned on my heel so I could look at him in the flesh. “I’ve got needs. And I have to do my part to make sure those ladies know what it feels like to be properly handled by a man. So many fuckers out there being pumpin’ chumpers, I got my work laid out for me.”

“Sure enough.” Nix gave me one of his rare smiles.

“I got to go. T just texted.” I pulled my jacket out of the closet by the front door and shoved my feet into my giant boots.

Nix was instantly on point. “You need me?”

“No, baby, I’ll let you know.” I put out my fist for a bump.

Nix ignored it. “I’m watching you. You can’t bubble wrap my shit forever, Animal.”

I gave my fist a pointed look. He tapped it with his tatted knuckles.

“I got you. Let me see what I’m packing.” I had guns in my black SUV, so I didn’t have to take anything from here. “Just keep your lady safe, feel me?”

I didn’t wait for his answer as I took to a light jog across the foyer. I felt another buzz in my pocket and moved even faster.

Animal

I took my SUV to meet T in the parking lot of the old mall. She was still in the clothes from last night, and she looked tired.

I hit the unlock button and she climbed in the passenger side. I handed her a bottle of water from the cup holder, and she swigged it.

“You all right?”

T winced and nodded.

“So that chick had a car waiting for her outside of Meme’s. Actually, a few cars. They trailed one another like she was the President.”

“Okay.” My mind was racing. Was one of the families trying to make a move on Meme’s? Claim the territory? I could shut that shit down. I pulled out my phone in honor of her news.

T covered my hand with hers “No. Not yet. Hear me out.”

She was reading my mind again.

After turning in the seat, she folded her legs up and pushed her back against the door so she could look at me directly.

“I followed the caravan. They took the long way home, making sure they weren’t tailed. When they were comfortable, the lot of them pulled up to a place not far upstate. The gate sign identified it as Breston Pharmaceuticals.” She let me digest the information.

“She’s from a pharmaceutical company? What the hell are they doing sniffing around me?” I was stumped. I mean, everyone had heard of Breston. They were on the back of most of the bottles in everyone’s bathrooms. They also owned a national chain of pharmacies. Maybe international. I’d never paid that much attention.

“They are mammoth. Far bigger than they let on. I researched them from my phone. She never came back out, by the way, but they had caravans coming in every half hour or so, all night long.”

“I wonder if that’s business as usual for a pharmaceutical company. I mean, I guess it’s just legal drugs. Business has to be good.” I set my phone down on the console.

“So, what do they want with you? That’s the question we need to worry about. She came in and went straight for you, both barrels loaded.” She hugged her arms.

I leaned over and turned the heat up.

She continued, “If I was setting up someone to get information or cooperation from you, I’d have sent that chick, too. She’s like napalm. Overly effective.”

I gave her an amused look. “Really? You planning on saucing me out soon?”

She gave me the finger. “That’s not even a thing people say. And yes, I think about it. I plot conspiracies. I plan your death. I kidnap you in my head all the time.”

Now I lifted both eyebrows at her. “Wow, we need to get you some better hobbies.”

She ran her hand over her face. “If I’ve already thought about it, I eliminate the element of surprise in those situations.”

I nodded when I realized her reasoning was sound.

“You do it, too. That’s how we get jobs done. You probably haven’t put it in that morbid of a context.” She yawned. “Any of the sluts from last night new girls?”

I didn’t want to talk about last night with her. “Yeah. Two of them actually.”

She rubbed her temples. She was clearly exhausted. “Okay, let’s go back to your den of sin and see if they took anything. You have cameras rolling during your slippery hole and stick party?”

“Damn, T.”

“What? You’re a well-known pied piper of dick. I’d send some hookers out to act like sluts and get into your room if I was out to get you, too.”

I put my seat belt on and looked at her. “What’d you drive to get here?”

After I heard her belt click, she answered, “I jacked a car. It’s in the river now. So I walked from there to here.”

“You’d send me hookers? Am I that gullible?” I put the SUV in reverse.

“Only about your own safety.” After we were rolling, she used the electric controls to tilt her seat back.

She mumbled, “Attention can feel like love if you’re scared.”

Then she fell asleep quickly. In repose I watched as she let down her guard. She was beautiful. Perfect lips, skin so pale she’d burn easy in the summer sun. I felt my heart swell looking at her. I was glad she’d come back to Midville. Having her here and knowing I was messing with her head wasn’t easy, but it was much better than wondering if she was alive somewhere else.

Her steady breathing told me that she was now out. The sentence she’d uttered rattled around in my brain all the way home.