17. BONES

17

BONES

“ Y ou’re going out? I want to come too.” Wynter catches me as I’m getting ready for the day in the bathroom.

I’m just applying a little bit of eyeliner as I tell her, “It’s another meeting. You’d be bored to death. Believe me, they call them board meetings for a reason.”

As I tie my hair into a top knot, I catch her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes are cast downward.

“What’s wrong?” When I turn to her she finally looks up.

“Nothing. It's just that since what happened at Grayson’s place I thought…I thought I’d be allowed out again.”

“You have everything you need here.” There's no reason why she can’t come with me. I have the tracker in her after all. It’s just the thought of her being outside without me that makes my skin itch.

“I don’t want to sit around all day reading or watching movies..”

She pushes her bottom lip out as she steps towards me and places her palms on my chest.

“Use the gym,” my voice is rough with sudden sexual tension. The simple touch of her fingers alone is enough to steal my every thought.

“I did this morning.” She bats her eyelids this time. Her hands trailing down toward my rock-hard cock. We may have made the deal so I can fuck her whenever I like, but it feels like it’s the other way around. I still can't believe she offered herself up to me like that. If she had asked me to find her sister I would have said yes. She didn't have to strike a bargain. But I'm a selfish fucker and wasn't about to turn down a good thing.

“Little viper. Teasing me is not going to get you what you want.” I grab her wrists to stop her from unzipping me.

“Yes it is,” she says huskily. This is too cruel. I bet her pussy is dripping for me.

“You could leave the door unlocked and I could explore outside?”

“No.” The word quickly fires out. “You’re not to go outside without me.”

She groans and steps away from me into the bedroom. “What’s the point in having this thing in my back if you’re still going to be there any time I’m out?”

I follow after her. “It’s for your protection and my peace of mind. I’m sorry. I can’t miss this meeting. I didn’t tell you the details before, but my father’s selling out the company. That’s why I need to be there on time to make sure I keep what’s mine.”

A look of understanding and then determination pass over her face. “Then I’m definitely coming with you. If you don’t let me into the meeting I can at least be there for you when it’s over.”

Did I just hear that correctly? She wants to be there for me?

The way she’s looking at me, so hopefully, I’d be a bigger asshole than I already am to say no.

“Fine.” I sigh. “But you’re waiting in the car and not moving an inch. Actually, I have some spare burner phones in my office. You can have one of those and keep me updated every two minutes.” She thinks I’m exaggerating, but I’ve never been more serious.

“I’ll be sat in the car, there'll be nothing to update you on.”

“I still want to know. Tell me what song you're listening to, if you’re too hot or too cold, if your ass is going numb. Everything.” An excited smile lights up her face as she realizes I’m actually saying yes and she runs into the closet to change. That might be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.

Part of me is terrified that she’s playing me. That these few weeks have all been a lie and she’s not really mine.

She’s put a lot of trust in me recently, the least I can do is give her the same back.

I’m halfway through today’s meeting and I’m already bored out of my mind. My father still won’t tell anyone who our surprise investor is. He says he wants everything to be drawn up properly before he announces it.

I’m still working on getting rid of the mystery man completely. Hence why this is the third meeting I’ve attended in two weeks. If I can convince my father I’m capable of running this company then he can let me invest in it and finally take over.

Wynter’s waiting in the car outside and I send her another quick text asking for an update.

She texts back a devil horns emoji and the name of the song she’s listening to. It's one by Lorna Shore. She’s so fucking adorable it hurts.

“What are you smiling about, Noah?” my father asks.

“Hmm?” I hum without looking up from my phone.

“I appreciate you showing up more, but if you don’t want to be a part of this meeting then go home.”

“You mean like our mysterious benefactor? Where is he exactly? I would have thought that someone investing so much would want a say in how things are run.” Placing my phone down I give my father a pointed stare.

“He will when he’s ready.” A vein pulses in his forehead, I remember it doing that anytime Mom was mad at him.

“I agree with Noah. Some of us have invested years into this company. This is disrespectful expecting any of us to be happy with someone new coming in like this,” Francis Butcher, one of the older members here pipes up.

“It’s my company! I still have the final say over everything. If any of you don’t like that then get out!” My father shouts like a child having a tantrum. This isn’t like him at all. Not once has he raised his voice at work.

Everyone quietens down and we get back to the meeting. My father looks about ready to explode the entire time and there’s an uncomfortable tension in the air.

I go back to texting Wynter and ask what she’s doing now. She doesn’t reply straight away like she did before. I text again and there’s still no answer, so I bring up the app and find she’s no longer in the car.

“Fuck.”

“Do you have something to say, Noah?” I can hear the way my father’s gritting his teeth without needing to look at him.

I wave my hand dismissively. This is far too important to ignore. Pinching the screen, I zoom in until I see the name of the building her icon is at. A hair salon across the street.

My anxiety eases slightly, but not completely. This time I call her. Instead of answering, she sends me a picture of her sitting in a salon chair, her eyes facing away from the camera and a shy smile on her lips.

You’re getting your hair done?

Yes. It might take a while

And no I'm not asking your permission

I also need you to pay for it

I don't like that she went out of her way to break my rules of staying put, but I can hardly be mad at her for wanting to get her hair done.

Message me when you're done. I'll come pick you up and pay then

Don't go anywhere else without telling me

A few minutes pass and I don’t hear anything more from her.

What are you getting done?

You’ll see

Show me

??I’m not going to disappear, you don’t need to text me every few minutes

Did she just use the skull and crossbones emoji for me? That's kinda cute.

I send her an emoji of a snake and an eye, telling her I’m keeping an eye on her.

There’s radio silence after that. Maybe I am being a bit overbearing, but anything could happen to her out here. Plus it’s making my skin feel tight being away from her.

“There’s another motel we could try—”

“Motel?” The word draws me back into whatever conversation I’ve been missing. Wynter mentioned being taken to what she thought might have been a motel.

“Yes, Noah,” my father says from his seat at the opposite side of the table.

“Until our stocks settle, I don’t think it’s wise to invest in anything.” A younger member of the team says, I think he’s called Brad or maybe it’s Chad. He's one of those types. The alpha male that eats protein powder for every meal and thinks a wife is only good for procreation. Well, I assume he does since I’m pretty sure he’s got five kids already and he’s barely pushing mid-twenties.

“What motel?” I repeat.

“Noah, if you were listening rather than sitting on your phone you’d know, and Brad,” knew it, “this is exactly why I suggest buying another motel. It’s the cheapest investment we can make right now.”

“What about the money from the investor? Are we just sitting on that? With the amount he’s given us we could easily start moving into other states again,” Francis says.

“That money is tied up at the moment, but as soon as we’re able to we’ll put it to good use.”

“What plans does he actually have for this company?” I ask. No one invests that much in anything without wanting something for themselves.

My father swallows loudly. “I can assure you he wants to see the business succeed.”

“I want a private meeting with him.”

“He’s a busy man, Noah. Now, back to the actual agenda. This motel doesn’t have the same qualities as Lakeview did, but as you know we had to sell that to help balance out our—”

“We still have Lakeview.” I recognize the name from the paperwork Janine sent me. My father’s signature is on the contract, but we’re not using it for anything.

“I wouldn’t get too excited about it, you can’t even see the Lake from there. I’ve been there a few times myself and believe me you wouldn’t want to stay the night,” Brad chuckles dryly.

Ignoring him I keep pressing my father. “There’s no paperwork saying you sold it. Why?”

My father’s silent for a moment before saying, “It must be filed incorrectly. I got rid of it months ago.” There’s something in his tone that tells me he’s lying. But why? He’s never been the type to keep secrets.

I’m restless for the rest of the meeting. I don’t hear anything more from Wynter, but she’s still at the salon. I keep having visions of turning up there and finding a pool of blood with only the tracker lying in it.

My father’s first to leave the room and he’s gone before I can talk to him. As everyone else leaves I call Brad over.

“You actually want to speak to me? I’ve worked here for five years and now you give me the time of day?”

“Yes, and remember I can get you fired so quit being a little bitch. I need you to tell me about Lakeview.”

A sly smile tugs the corner of his mouth up. “I’m surprised you’ve never been. Thought that sort of place would have been right up your alley considering your reputation.”

“Can anyone go there?”

“Yeah as long as you got money, just turn up and pay for a room. By the hour of course.” He gives me a wink and I want to punch the smug look off his face.

“Who manages the place?”

He shrugs his shoulders. “Dunno. A fair few guys work there. All look like they’ve jumped straight off a prison van if you ask me. I certainly wouldn’t want to piss them off. Do you think Gregory knows he sold it to be a whorehouse?” He laughs like he’s enjoying my father’s fuck up way too much.

My father would never do such a thing if he knew that would be the outcome. He’s the most respectable person I know. His entire life has revolved around business. He got me a tutor when I was four so I could become just like him.

Ignoring Brad’s question, I say, “Thanks, man, you’ve been really helpful. I’ll make sure you get a nice bonus at the end of the year. Treat that lovely wife and all those kids of yours.”

His eyes widen as I call him out on his bullshit behavior and he huffs out a laugh before scurrying off.

On my way out I text Wynter for an update and she says she’ll be at least another hour. I could go sit with her, but this is the perfect opportunity to do some reconnaissance.

Lakeview is definitely not what the name suggests. Like Brad said, it doesn’t even have a view of the Lake. It’s actually a mile out from it, situated near the edge of the city. A gas station and a derelict cafe are the only other places nearby.

I asked Janine to send me everything we have on file again, but it’s still the same information. There’s no record of this place being sold. My father, our company, still owns it.

The no vacancy sign is lit, but there are only two cars parked up in the lot.

Pulling up away from them, I grab my gun from the glovebox and tuck it into my jacket. I don’t know if I’ll need it, but I can’t be too careful.

The check-in desk is empty as I walk by, so I head to the main building. Cigarette smoke blows from around the corner. Following it I find two women chatting as they have a smoke by the vending machines. Their clothes are ill-fitting and I can see the needle marks on their inner elbows. No doubt they work here.

“Afternoon ladies.” I casually stroll up to them.

The younger of the two startles and quickly grinds her cigarette out under her grubby trainer. The older one with dark hair stands straighter and stares me down as she takes a long drag. “If you want a room you need to talk to one of the guys.”

“The front desk was empty.”

“Ugh, seriously? They’re always fucking around,” she mutters to herself.

The younger girl looks terrified of me. She’s barely eighteen, by the looks of it. With messy blonde hair and pretty eyes that are way too sunken into her face. I clench my fists together to hold back my anger as I think of why she might be here.

“How many of you are here?”

She’s about to answer when the dark-haired woman steps in, “You a cop or something?”

“Do I look like a cop? I kinda have a reputation as an everyone’s man and like to know my options before I settle.”

“There’s no guys here, but plenty of girls to pick from.” She puts her smoke out and grabs a soda from the vending machine.

“How many?”

“Nine,” the blonde one says quietly. “No, eight. We lost another one this morning.” She hugs her arms tight around her center, a haunted look on her face.

“Lost?” I frown.

The dark-haired one places a hand on my shoulder and smiles up at me with nicotine-stained teeth. “She doesn’t mean that. One of the girls that lived here simply moved away. Come with me, I'll take you to a room and we can settle up later.”

I shrug her hand off and she scrunches her nose at me.

“No, let me talk to your boss,” I persist.

“He doesn’t like us bothering him unless he wants us,” the blonde says quietly.

“Can’t keep your mouth closed again, huh Goldilocks?” A deep accented voice comes from behind me. I turn, coming face to face with the most sinister smile I’ve ever seen. The man puffs his chest out as he stares at me like I’m supposed to know who the fuck he is.

“You run this place?” I ask. He narrows his eyes at me, that smile widening to his pale blues.

“I do. Dmitri Volkov.” He holds his hand out to me and I ignore it. This is the man Jax told me about. The one that took Wynter.

Shrugging me off he says, “Come. We were just about to enjoy the pool.” He grabs the blonde's arm and drags her around the back, the other woman hurries out of sight.

We head through an open gate in a chain link fence that loops around the pool area. Two men occupy the deck chairs and they both have women sat by their feet. Another two women are swimming in the pool, topless. My stomach turns at the whole sight.

Dmitri turns and Goldilocks—or whatever the fuck her name is—looks up at me with tear-filled eyes that make me uncomfortable. “Did you want this one?” he asks and I shake my head.

Before I can do anything he shoves her into the pool. She screams, water splashing around her as she struggles to resurface. One of the women starts swimming towards her, but Dmitri barks out, “Leave her! She needs to learn to keep her mouth shut, maybe drowning will help with that.”

I stand and watch the spectacle. Unsure whether to help or not. Before I need to intervene she manages to grab onto the side of the pool and pull herself up.

The men sit there laughing at her as she sobs and gasps for air.

Dmitri sits down in the chair between the guys and snaps his fingers at a red haired girl who walks over to him in a daze. She’s got a full figure and barely fits into the bikini she’s wearing. He makes use of that by pulling her into his lap and grabbing her tits, playing with them right there in front of everyone.

“Goldilocks, you’re on desk duty for the rest of the day. Unless you want a dip in the pool again?” Dmitri laughs and the other guys join in.

I narrow my eyes towards him as the girl rushes past me, tears streaming down her face, her clothes soaked through.

“Anyway. Noah! Fancy seeing you here, or is it Bones paying me a visit today?”

I keep my face void of expression as he admits to knowing me.

“Why the fuck are you using my father’s business as a whorehouse?” I ask, getting straight to the point.

“Oh, don’t be like that. Come take a seat and relax before you start with the business talk. This little firecracker gives great head. I’m sure she can calm you down a bit.” He pushes the redhead off his lap and she stumbles towards me. I grab her by the arms to steady her. She’s shaking, but she’s so out of it she doesn’t seem to care. Is this what Wynter was like before I saved her? Guiding her to an empty deck chair, I help her sit down.

“I’m not here for your girls.”

“I suppose you’re content with the one you already have.”

My blood turns cold. All I can do is clench my fists. I can’t let him see my emotions.

“She’s not free, you know? Just because you took her doesn’t mean she’s yours. I expected her to be dead after what happened to Abato.”

I step towards him and he lounges back with that smile still on his face.

“You’re the one that took her. That sold her to him. Why?”

“Nothing personal.” He shrugs and laughs. “Well maybe a little personal. She was a brat, but more importantly she was convenient. Just what I’d been looking for. So of course I snatched her up.”

Taking another step forward, I whip my gun out and aim it at him. The two men on either side of Dmitri draw their own weapons and aim them at me while he sits there smugly.

The women in the pool scream and start scrambling to get out.

“Calm down!” Dmitri shouts and they all go silent. “I’d already heard of you, Bones . You’ve made quite a name for yourself around here. You and your friend. Bones and Carver, the ones you want if you need a job done properly.”

Dean and I keep away from gang shit as much as possible for this exact reason. Once you’re involved you never get back out.

“I couldn’t believe it when I met with your father and saw the photo of you in his office. Well of Noah . Imagine how surprised I was to discover Noah and Bones were the same person. When I first heard of the tall pretty guy that broke bones like twigs I pictured someone stockier and blond for some reason.”

What the fuck sort of game is he playing?

“Cut the bullshit. Tell me what you want.”

“You’re the one that came to see me.”

My grip on my gun tightens and he raises a brow at it. With a sigh, I put it away. The two men lower theirs, but don’t take their hands off them.

“I want you out of my life. Stay away from my company and forget Wynter even exists.”

“Now why would I do that? I’ve spent a lot of time getting to know your father. Wynter on the other hand I unfortunately didn’t get the chance to get to know her how I would have liked.”

I’m so close to losing my composure. All I want is to pummel his face until he stops breathing, but I need to get back to Wynter in one piece. “Keep her name out of your fucking mouth. In fact keep it out of your head, Wynter no longer exists to you.”

Running a hand over his greasy blond hair, he rolls his eyes at me. “Relax. I’m not interested in her. I’ve got plenty of pussy here to keep me occupied. What I want is for you to keep doing what you’re doing.”

“And that means what exactly?”

He sighs and walks over to me with his hands in his pockets. Not an ounce of fear in him. “You seem like a smart man, that’s why you came here after all, isn’t it? You know whose name is on the deeds to this place.”

What the hell has my father got himself into?

“What do you want from him? Money? I can give you that.”

He laughs and taps my forehead. “You’re thinking too small. I want the entire city. Well, my boss does. I’m preparing it for his arrival and I want you on my side when he comes.”

“I’m never going to work with you.”

“You already are. You’ve been tidying up my loose ends for me.” He pauses as he waits for me to catch up.

The guards at the house. Grayson. He wanted them dead?

“Is it clicking into place yet?” He laughs. “The men you’ve killed knew too much. Letting the pair of you deal with them means I don’t have to waste my time gathering the rest of them for execution. You can keep your little whore for as long as you work for me.”

“Why tell me any of this?”

“Because if you want your girl to keep breathing then you’ll do everything I tell you. I want your company, but I don’t want to run the damn thing. You can do that for me. I’ve already secured my place in it. I just need you to fill your father’s shoes and kill anyone that I need gone. No questions asked.”

He’s the secret investor?

“You’re taking over the company?”

“Yes and no. I need the business, but like I said I don’t want to be sat in meetings all day. That’s where you come in. You’ll give me any property I want, for free of course, and it’ll be your name on the deeds. ”

So I’ll take the fall if he’s ever arrested. That must be what he has over my father. How the hell did he get involved with someone like Dmitri in the first place?

“Why my family’s company?”

He grins at me. “It’s just convenient. Any other questions you plan to interrogate me with or can I get back to enjoying my day?”

I clench my fists harder so I don’t start a fight. I'm a dead man if I try anything here.

Turning his back to me, Dmitri goes to lounge in his chair again. “Noah. Think of Wynter as my gift to you. Keep killing that security team for me and anyone else I send your way and she’s yours. Then in the future when I need something from your company you’ll do that for me too.”

He’s got me fucking cornered. My father will be arrested if I go to the cops and if I say no now I’ll be dead. That leaves Wynter at his mercy. He knows she’s alive which means he knows where to find her. All I can do is what he says.

“Fine. I’ll do what you want. Just stay the fuck away from her. If you break your end of the deal I will find a way to end you for good.”

Like a shark sniffing out blood, he flashes his teeth at me. “Glad to do business with you.”

My body feels heavy as I walk back to my car. The memory of finding Wynter on the floor in Tommaso's room replays in my head. Now Goldilocks’ terrified eyes are also tugging at my conscience.

Am I doing the right thing leaving her there? She’s not my problem. I’m here to help Wynter, not to be a white knight for every trafficked girl in the city.

Who knew having a heart would be so difficult?

I’m only ten minutes out from Wynter’s location when she texts, telling me she’s finished.

My heart weighs heavy with guilt as I walk into the salon. But as soon as I see Wynter chatting away to the stylist, with a huge bright smile on her face everything else vanishes. All I can think about is the light in her eyes and the tiny dimples in her cheeks.

“Is this your guy?” the stylist asks and Wynter turns to look at me, her smile getting even brighter when she sees me. Fuck. My knees feel like they’re about to buckle from the way that smile hits.

“Yeah, this is him.”

Everything fades away around us. The chatter of people and the hum of blow dryers, completely gone.

“Do you like it?”

I blink and the world zooms back into focus.

This time I take all of her in and give her the attention she deserves. There are new blue streaks in her hair that match her eyes perfectly and it’s so full of life, just like her.

“You’re beautiful.”

“Okay, he’s definitely a keeper. Where did you find him?” The stylist chuckles.

“He found me.” My heart is pulled in two at her words. I want to give her the truth, to tell her everything that’s happened today, but I can’t destroy that smile. Can’t ruin all the progress I’ve made to have her fall for me.

What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her. After all, nothing much has changed for her. We’ll still be killing her enemies. I’ll happily be the one to carry the burden of truth if it means I get to see her smile like that every day.

“Oh, you two are the cutest,” the stylist giggles, making Wynter blush.

I refuse to ruin this moment for her.

“I can’t believe you actually didn’t come to check on me.” Wynter comes closer and weaves her fingers through mine. “Thank you for that and for indulging me all the time. You don’t have to keep doing these things though. You don’t need to buy my love.”

She has no idea how badly I want her to say it’s because I already have it, but I don’t need those words to confirm that she’s in love with me. It’s in the way she threads her fingers through mine in her sleep, the orgasms that shatter us both, the way she looks at me when she thinks I don’t notice, how she brushes the hair from my face when it slips from my hair tie.

It’s in the smile she’s giving me now as she holds my hands and leans in to kiss me.