Page 15

F uck me, that was hot as fuck.

My eyes follow Aria as she goes to sit back with Blair and Rose, and I can’t look away. Her hips swaying, those fucking stockings that I just want to rip apart with my teeth, and the way the bralette pushes her tits up makes my mouth water almost.

She’s drinking a gin and tonic, and as she sits, the short skirt rises up even more. I’m not sure if she’s being coy or if she’s drunk already so she’s not noticing it, but there’s not a single person here who hasn’t at least glanced at her table.

Was it a dick move not to call her after she gave me one of the best blow jobs I’ve ever received? Yes.

But it wasn’t by choice, exactly. Arlo visited me that same morning, knocked a tooth out of my mouth, and I had to get an implantation. That’s still not why I didn’t contact her, though. Arlo warned me, and not because it’s his sister.

Because the motherfucker who stabbed me in the ring apparently works for someone else. Hudson and Arlo are still trying to locate him, given the circumstance that he’s disappeared, and thus far they have been unable to find anything.

So, I decided to call up an old friend.

Reluctantly, I tear my gaze off Aria. If I continue to look at those fucking thighs for a moment longer, I’ll be tempted to gouge everyone’s eyes here. My jaw is clenched as I approach the bar, sitting down next to Eva.

“She seems nice,’’ Eva comments, sarcasm lacing her tongue. I flip her off in response, and she laughs. She orders a bourbon for me and another glass of wine for herself. Given that the club belongs to the De Santis siblings, I’ve spent quite some time here.

I motion with my head to the bartender, Wren, and she immediately nods. Within a couple of minutes, the people around the bar are relocated somewhere else in the club, leaving Eva and me alone to chat for a while.

“Tell me everything you know.’’

Eva swirls the liquid in her glass, eyes flickering from the crowd, then back to me. Her chair inches closer, and she leans in, whispering. “Jackson Stone is dead.’’

She distances herself from me, then carefully observes my reaction. I don’t give her any. I don’t show her the inner turmoil that’s bubbling in my chest. He’s dead? How the fuck is he dead? He was getting better at the hospital, but if he didn’t receive proper care post his disappearance, it shouldn’t be a surprise that he succumbed to his wounds.

“How?”

Eva takes a big gulp from her glass, eyes not leaving mine. The two of us met when we were seven, as we were sent to the same foster home. Our life there was anything but great. When I was fifteen, I started working out and got into fighting to escape. Eva got into drugs.

It took me years to finally help her, but as of right now, she’s been sober for two years, and I’m so fucking happy that she’s not dead. She overdosed four times. Each time I thought I would never get to see her again.

Because she got into the wrong crowd, she managed to get a few friends. The friendships are more of a business transaction, but in this world where everything is illegal and costs money, having those friendships is beneficial. And Eva used a few contacts to find out about Jackson.

“The De Santis’ will fill you in better, but,’’ she pauses, yet again looking around, making sure no one’s eavesdropping. “This morning, they discovered a body. It was in the lake, and the torso was cut open, filled with rocks, then sewn back up. Some kids decided to swim and found it.’’

“Are we sure it’s Jackson?”

“So far, it hasn’t been confirmed. But my friend compared the injuries from the hospital chart with the ones found on the body, and yeah, it fits perfectly.’’

“Fucking hell,’’ I groan, gulping down the bourbon and ordering another one immediately.

“As far as Jackson goes,’’ she sighs. “He’s too clean. So, I dug deeper. He loves playing dirty in the ring, but he also likes to attend a lot of strip clubs. And wouldn’t you know it, he’s been banned from a couple due to inappropriate behavior.’’

“Of course,’’ I scoff, folding my arms in front of my chest.

“Have you heard of the New York Vipers?” She asks, almost hesitantly.

I raise a brow. “The what?”

“The New York Vipers,’’ she repeats. “Apparently, they’re some sort of a gang. New York is ruled by the Bratva, the Kalashnikov family, so they’ve been trying to get on Pakhan’s radar and get on his good side.’’

“Were they successful?”

Eva snorts. “Do you think Aleksei Kalashnikov has the time to deal with barely legal kids trying to play mafia?”

“Touche.’’

“Now, let me continue,’’ she sighs. “The New York Vipers are small. I’m talking like fifty members tops. They’re apparently trying to get into arms dealing, though no one wants to work with them thus far given that they’re at most twenty-five years old, and none of them are from a criminal family.’’

“Are they a problem?”

“They might be,’’ she looks at me, her expression serious. “Jackson Stone was a part of the New York Vipers. Take a wild guess who else is a member.’’

“Just spit it out.’’

“Wyatt Chambers.’’

My body goes rigid, and an immense amount of rage threatens to spill. My jaw is locked tightly, eyes narrowed at Eva. She seems almost apologetic to even have to speak about it, giving me a couple of moments to process the information.

“That bastard’s been banished from New York by Arlo.’’

“He changed his name, legally, and snuck back in. He goes by Karl Brown now. He did have some cosmetic surgeries, but undoubtedly, it’s Wyatt Chambers.’’

“How do you even know about Wyatt?” I ask. My tone is low, and the words are barely above a whisper. I’m not doubting Eva, but if the outside world knows about Wyatt and Aria’s past, and it reaches Aria’s ears, she’ll go back down the rabbit hole, and I’m not sure she’ll be able to handle it again.

“Everyone knows,’’ she breathes out, almost reluctantly. “After leaving New York, apparently, he told anyone who would listen to the history of him and Aria De Santis. Although, I’m assuming half was fabricated and done to make him look better.’’

“What did the motherfucker say?” I demand, clutching the glass of bourbon. If I tighten my grip just a bit more, it’ll break.

“I’m not too certain of the specifics. Just that he didn’t deserve the hell Aria put him through and that he’d make them all pay for what they did to him.’’

I tighten the grip, and the glass breaks. The remainder of the liquid splashes on my thighs, the little glass shreds falling all over. Eva gasps, immediately grabbing a napkin to wipe the blood on my palm. I didn’t even notice the glass cutting into my flesh.

Wren, the bartender, hands me a new glass and a napkin to press into the wound and stop the bleeding. In comparison to any other wound I’d gotten in my life, this is barely a scratch.

My eyes are focused on Aria, her back turned to me.

It doesn’t take me long to figure out that Jackson didn’t want to get to Arlo. He used me to get through Aria. But why? At the time, the two of us were… friendly, at best. Sure, I’ve fantasized about fucking her brains out and getting her pregnant, but none of that has happened. In fact, nothing remotely intimate has happened until the night in the kitchen when I hugged her.

But we’ve rarely been seen together in public, and when it did happen, it was always a group setting. It was a rare occurrence for the two of us to be seen alone. It simply never happened because we had no reason to be.

She confessed; we acted like it didn’t happen.

“What does he want with Aria?”

“Your guess is as good as mine,’’ Eva shrugs. “So, look into them, and you’ll definitely find Wyatt.’’

“There’s a chance Jackson came after me on Wyatt’s orders.’’

Eva nods. “Exactly. Now… the main question is — why you? Sure, they couldn’t go directly after Arlo or Blair, but the third chick with Aria and Blair over there? Her main protector is currently in prison. She would’ve been an easier target. So, what’s going on between you and Aria?”

“Nothing.’’

Eva raises an amused brow. “Is that why she looks ready to kill me?”

I chuckle. “She will kill you if you get on her bad side.’’

She laughs nervously. “You’re not being serious, are you?”

“Oh, I am. And not only will she kill you, she’ll likely make it an overkill, and you will suffer. So just… behave in her presence. Her temper is getting worse with each day.’’

My eyes drift back to Aria, and she’s already looking at me. She doesn’t feel even remotely guilty that I’ve caught her staring. In fact, her stare becomes more intense, almost defiant. It makes my cock slightly harden in my pants, hating the confinement of the clothes.

Her eyes drift to Eva momentarily, and I’m reminded of the warning she gave me. It was so fucking hot hearing her say that, and I’m tempted to fuck her brains out right here in the middle of the club. Sadly, I’d have to kill anyone who’d see her naked, including her brother and her friends.

Instead, I wait.

Aria hops off the stool, the skirt barely covering her ass. She makes her way toward the restroom, too many eyes on her. I fist my hand, taking a swing of the bourbon. Even in a packed club, filled with many women, my eyes are on her only. She has my full attention, and my sole focus is that perfect little ass of hers.

The beast in me can’t stay put. Swiftly, I started following her from a safe distance. Once she enters the restroom, I take a quick glance around. Everyone’s so busy getting drunk and dancing that no one pays attention to the tall man entering the women’s restroom.

Two girls are inside. They’re talking and washing their hands, and then they abruptly pause when they look at me. They exchange a glance before drying their hands off and scurrying out of the restroom. Now, there’s no one here.

One stall is occupied, and I do a thorough search of the other ones just to ensure we’re alone.

I knock on Aria’s stall.

“Occupied,’’ she yells out, a bit annoyed.

I chuckle. “Open the door, bunny.’’

It’s silent for a moment before the sound of unlocking the door fills the restroom, and the door swings open. She’s a bit shocked to see me, but I don’t give her time to react. I push her inside gently, enter the stall, and lock it behind me.

Fuck me, she smells divine.

It’s a mix of forbidden fruit and the sweetest vanilla I’ve ever had the pleasure of smelling. I could get high on her scent; I could spend the rest of my life just basking in her presence, and I’d die a happy man.

Her bright eyes stare into mine, and I can see my own reflection in the crystal blue. She takes a small step back, hitting the toilet behind her. She folds her arms in front of her chest, and it takes all willpower not to just bury my face in her tits.

“What do you want, Cove?”

Aria tries to keep her voice stern, but I hear the slight crack. My feet move toward her until I close the distance between us. In one swift motion, I grab her thighs, lift her up, and spin us around, slamming her against the door.

She gasps, but her legs immediately wrap around my torso. I give her thighs a good, firm squeeze and lean in.

“I told you already, bunny. I’ll fill all three holes of yours. I’ve two left.’’

The moment her lips part to speak, I kiss her, cutting her off.