Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

JASPER

M y cock has been hard for the last twenty minutes, ever since I heard Tiny's first moan.

"This is fucking torture," Tommy groans when Cerenity screams in pleasure. Standing, he scowls in the direction of her bedroom. "Fuck."

"Well, that appears to be what they're doing," I say wryly, rolling my eyes as I get up from the makeshift bed. I'm going to buy a blow up mattress today to sleep on, since I'll be camping out in her living room. My back isn't particularly happy with my current arrangement.

"I can't fucking take it," he grumbles, adjusting his cock in his boxers. We both need to pick up clothes and shit at the store, since we didn't think the six hour drive all the way through, and I'm definitely going to need to scope out a new running route.

"What are you going to do, burst in on them and demand she sucks your cock?" I ask. As soon as the words leave my mouth and the gleam appears in his eye, I know I fucked up.

Tiny's pheromones are flooding the apartment, and it's enough to send an alpha into rut, or at the very least, make very bad decisions.

Tommy grunts like a caveman and starts walking toward the bedroom as if that's exactly what he plans to do.

"Wait!" I hiss, almost tripping over the blankets as I rush him. "Tommy, you can't go in there! Remember what she said about fucking choices!"

I may be a slow learner, but I'm getting better, I swear.

"What?" he mutters, continuing to walk toward the door.

Shoving him doesn't help, nor does stomping on his foot with bare feet. Fuck me.

"You're not a damn animal," I growl, punching the alpha in the face.

Blinking, he shakes his head before launching himself at me. Taking me to the ground, he tries to pin me down as he punches me, but I'm a trained fighter. Flipping him, we beat the shit out of each other until we're both exhausted, gasping in breaths on the ground as I lick some blood off my lip.

Goddamnit, that's going to be really fun to explain.

I managed to avoid most of the blows to my face, all except my lip.

"You good now, asshole?" I grunt, breathing hard.

"Yeah," he rumbles. "I need to get the fuck out of this apartment, though. Let's hit the store and then go for a run."

Groaning as I sit up, I glance wearily at Tommy as I get dressed. He looks stressed as he jerkily pulls on his clothes, his eyes being drawn continually to Cerenity's bedroom door.

"Come on, out," I mutter as I push him toward the front door to leave.

"She smells so good," he whines as he stomps out of the apartment in his combat boots.

"Trust me, I know," I grumble as I take Augustine's apartment key to lock up. There's no way I'm leaving the others unprotected while we're gone.

The light is barely in the sky as we leave, and while I'm used to getting up early, I would much rather have been able to sleep a little later. Tommy unlocks the doors to his truck, allowing us to climb in.

We're both fairly quiet as he drives to a big box store we saw on the drive in.

"I'm not trying to get ahead of myself," he finally begins, "but the apartment is too small for the five of us. I want to talk to the leasing office and see if the place next to theirs is open. I also need to check in with David to make sure Arthur's men were put down and disposed of like the dogs they are. I have a mile long list of shit… I want my shot to make things right with Cerenity too."

"That's incredibly well thought out," I say with a smirk. Tommy is the boss because every move is usually planned out, but everyone has their moments where things don't work out according to plan.

Tommy rolls his eyes, though his lips twitch in amusement as he drives. I'm glad he's coming down from the high of having his omega around. Fuck, we really do need our own place just to be able to think.

"The fights are in five days," I rumble, thinking. "The fighters can manage for a bit through calls and virtual reminders to keep their asses on track. I can be just as scary from here as I am there. I don't see this affecting the men. Your job, however…"

"Lots to think about," he says with a nod. "She has a business here, Jasper. I don't expect her to move, so I need to have a meeting with Corbin to see about moving our hub of operations. Maybe we can work out a way for us to live here and run the fights from Minneapolis. People will drive in for these, and it'll liven up the city. Most of our fighters don't have permanent roots."

Look at him, thinking with his big brain. I'm nodding along as he speaks, because to be honest, any drug running can be passed to David to continue with a raise for his troubles. The fights won't encroach on anything the Irish mafia packs have going here, and it'll allow us to possibly expand north of here.

"It'll also allow us to find new fighters to train, too. Having a back up, or debuting someone are huge draws for crowds," he continues as he pulls into the store parking lot.

"I was recently asked if I would consider training women," I tell him, remembering a conversation I had a few weeks ago with a fighter in passing. "I told him I'd ask you, but to be honest, it slipped my mind until now."

"Bah, you have a lot on your plate, and it wasn't pertinent until now," Tommy forgives as he parks the truck. "If they're serious, yeah, I don't see the issue. We don't do the mud wrestling bullshit. Unless that's what we're planning to market it as. In that case, we'd need to have security in place."

His mind is pivoting and plotting to take care of his people while still being close to Cerenity. While Tommy did kidnap her, he's still attempting to figure things out. His plans are happening to make her happy, but I don't know if she'll see it that way if she seems to be overwhelmed and terrified by us.

Heaving a heavy sigh, I get out of the truck to walk across the lot to the store. Tommy hits the lock on his key fob and his heavy footsteps sound as he walks beside me. It's quiet for six in the morning, but the store opened half an hour ago.

"You've been thinking a lot about this," I murmur as we walk through the store with a cart.

"A lot of people depend on me," he says with a sigh. "I don't want to let anyone down, but I also don't want to be that angry bastard down the road staring down at my scotch every night wondering where I fucking went wrong."

Dark. Fuck, did he sleep at all?

"Well that's a depressing thought," I admit. "You planning on telling her any of this?"

"I don't want her to worry about this," he grunts. "I want to win her over on my own merit, not what I'm willing to do for her."

Ugh, so damn stubborn.

As we toss things into the cart, I continue to grumble in my mind. If he would talk to her, this would all be easier. I'm currently kicking myself for handcuffing her to the damn bed after her night of terror, especially since she seems to have some kind of issue with alphas in general.

Not all alphas, I think as I remember Tiny's moans.

A slap to the back of my head makes me wince, mostly because I was so buried in my thoughts I didn't see it coming. Fucking sloppy.

"I can hear you thinking from here and it's making me uncomfortable," Tommy grunts as he throws several pairs of boxers into the cart.

Huffing, I do the same, thinking about how this will do until I go home to pack my shit up. I should be freaking out about this, but things move fast when you find your scent match, even if she doesn't feel the same way right now.

My sister had a rough road of it with her pack, but they still lived together while they worked through it.

Granted she was sex trafficked and had nowhere else to go, but those are semantics.

Finishing up our shopping, Tommy hands his card to the checkout lady, waving my strangled sound away. He even remembered bottles of water for our run. Daddy Tommy is on point today.

"Hush, it's seriously easier than sorting your boxers from mine right now," he says with a smirk.

While he's right, I still flush at the woman's supposedly knowing smile. There's nothing wrong with sucking cock if you enjoy it. Sometimes, I think my life would be easier if I did, but it's not something I'm interested in.

Giving the woman a tight smile, I load up our purchases into the cart and walk out to the truck with Tommy.

"God, I'm seriously dying for a run," I groan as the sun starts to lighten the sky. "It's going to be too hot if I have to go upstairs to the apartment first."

"Change in the truck," Tommy mutters as he loads the purchases into the back seat. "Dude, who the fuck cares? I don't."

Getting into the vehicle, I decide he's right. As he drives us back to the apartment, I find my running gear from the shopping bags, and pull my clothes off to change. Tommy holds up the conversation until we arrive, then also changes into running gear.

While he typically runs on a treadmill and lifts weights at his home gym, I know it doesn't mean he won't be able to keep up with me.

We're getting out of the truck to do stretches as the sun begins to climb the sky. It's just beginning its journey, but its appearance makes me feel as if I'm running late.

Once the truck is locked up tightly and our stretches are complete, Tommy lets me set a brutal pace, matching me easily. The alpha is by no means a pencil pusher, though he makes important decisions for our organization every day.

Something that's easy to forget, is that he's also happily the executioner for those who cross our family.

Does he need to be? Absolutely not, he has people who would happily do it. However, nine times out of ten, he and David are the ones responsible for ending the lives of those who step out of line irrevocably. Arthur had way too many chances over the years, until he finally crossed the wrong line.

Neither of us talk as we run for the next hour, making sure we hydrate intermittently before slowing down into a walk.

"Fuck, is this what you do with the fighters you train?" Tommy asks, taking a gulp of air.

"Worse," I admit, my breathing almost normal. I'm still impressed he was able to keep up with me though, because I make grown men puke when they're first starting out.

"Goddamn, no wonder they're so well conditioned," he mutters, taking a sip of water as he opens the truck to grab our bags.

Helping him, I huff out a laugh. I need a long fucking shower and I have to take a piss. Trudging up all of the stairs to the apartment, I listen as Tommy calls the leasing office for the complex as we walk.

"Hi, I wanted to inquire about a possible vacancy next to apartment 321?" he asks politely. The veneer of civility makes me smirk, because I know it'll only last as long as he gets what he wants. "Oh, there isn't one?"

I listen to his side of the conversation as he speaks to the office before he escalates it to the manager and puts the phone on speaker.

" This is Marty Stone, you asked to speak to me?" the manager asks. We're in the stairwell for this phone conversation, because I doubt it would be received well if we're caught. I still believe it's easier to ask for forgiveness after the fact for many things.

This is one of them.

"Yes, I did. I need the tenants of apartment number 323 cleared out, please. I'm happy to provide you with the compensation to end their lease without notice," Tommy says calmly. "How does twelve thousand dollars sound?"

Hiding my smile because I think he could have gone lower to be honest, I listen as the manager sputters.

"Who the hell are you? Why do you want to move in? This is absurd! Twelve thousand dollars…"

"I don't like when people pretend they have the ability to deny me anything," Tommy grunts, already bored. We both know he's going to cave. "I want them out of the apartment by tonight, I'll even throw two thousand dollars toward the tenants for their trouble. Are we square?"

Marty stutters for a bit while I roll my eyes. We may have broken him. Praying it won't take him long to reboot, I lean against the wall as I wait.

"Come on now, Marty," Tommy purrs. "Use your words for me."

"Sir, you can't be serious ," he sputters, still trying to compute this isn't some sick prank.

"The last person who underestimated me was a meal to some very hungry pigs," Tommy murmurs. He doesn't need to raise his voice to be scary. If he wasn't my best friend, I'd be shaking in my shoes, but instead I attempt to be patient.

I really have to fucking piss though.

" What… You're fucking insane," Marty whines. He sounds like a weak willed beta. Bastard is about to fall like a deck of cards.

"I can assure you I'm intact of all my faculties," my best friend rumbles, adjusting his cock. I swear, nothing makes this man harder than a good argument. It's ridiculous. "Now, do I need to come down to the office to show you how persuasive I can be?"

" No! No, I'll send them the ordinance of eviction. I know a judge ," Marty grumbles. " I'll have them out by tonight. Fuck me."

"No, thanks," Tommy says lightly, opening the door to the third floor now that our business is concluded. "I appreciate you being so helpful."

Terminating the call, he glances at me with a smirk. I have to admit, that was masterful. Bowing toward him, I snort as we walk toward Cerenity and Augustine's apartment.

There's movement and chatting from inside as I unlock the door and let ourselves in, dropping our purchases in the living room. Soon, we'll be properly ensconced next door, and things will be a little less cramped. This doesn't mean I'm not willing to annoy the little omega with my presence whenever possible though.

It's part of my charm.

"Fuck, I missed my run this morning," Gabriel groans when he sees us both as he takes a long, slow drink of orange juice. He's never been much of a coffee drinker for as long as I've known him.

Tommy, on the other hand, stumbles toward the coffee maker to get his caffeine injection for the morning as I gaze at my fighter.

"You know what you need to do then," I tell him with a shrug as I drain the rest of my water bottle and throw it out. "If you're going to fuck all night, then you can damn well take care of your responsibilities too."

Tiny flushes red with embarrassment as Auggie growls at me, making me feel a bit like an asshole as I stalk toward the bathroom in the hallway.

Leaving the door partially open and refusing to give a fuck, I lift the toilet seat and release my cock from my shorts. There's just enough light from the hallway to show me where the hole is for me to aim. Sighing, I let my stream fly, happy to finally be able to piss.

Unfortunately, I start to feel warm liquid flying back at me, because it's not going into the bowl.

"What the fuck," I curse, disgusted. It's fucking dark since I was too lazy to turn on the light. The switch is also in a weird place and I don't know the bathroom well enough. "The toilet is broken!"

I hear a laugh vaguely coming from the kitchen, and I wonder if I'm being punked. I can't stop pissing, because I had to go so badly.

"Fuck!" I roar, reaching around for the shower, and ripping over the curtain, so I can turn and finish pissing in the tub. "Goddamnit."

I'm sure there's urine fucking everywhere. Awesome. My heart is oddly pounding from the adrenaline, and I groan as I shake my cock and put it away. Finally finding the damn light switch, I groan as I see there's cling wrap tightly stretched across the toilet bowl. I may not have even noticed without the splatter of urine all over it.

"Looks like you aren't house broken," Tiny says, dropping cleaning supplies at my feet. "Try not to tinkle everywhere again, would you?"

There's a smirk on her face, and her green eyes are sparkling. I have to admit, she got me good. Game fucking on, Tiny.

"I'll do my best, baby girl. Maybe you'll need to potty train me," I tease her. The peals of laughter could have only come from one place, and I have to admit she definitely got me good.

Outside of the initial what the fuck reaction, I'm not even angry. I will happily clean piss off the walls and the ceiling to see her eyes sparkle and her cheeks flush with happiness.

Tiny isn't scared of me right now, she's excited by the fact that she pranked and caught me with my pants down.

Little minx. I have a feeling this won't be the last time she pulls something like this, and I appreciate the effort to get back at us. As Cerenity sashays down the hallway to the kitchen, I chuckle under my breath as I watch her ass bounce.

Touché, baby girl. Well done.

Gathering up the cleaning supplies, I scrub the bathroom and pull off the cling wrap. Fucking hell, I may not even have noticed the shine of it, because of the way she wrapped it. Disgusted and turned on by her diabolical genius, I finish up, closing the door to pull off my clothes and shower. The towels were miraculously still clean, escaping the rain of piss.

Snickering, I take a shower, sniffing the shampoo and carefully pouring some out onto my hand to see if she fucked with it. I love my blond hair, and it would totally be my luck if she fucked with the shower products.

Washing thoroughly, I breathe a sigh of relief as I dry off, checking the mirror to make sure Tiny didn't catch me unawares again. Wrapping the towel around my waist, I leave the bathroom with my dirty clothes, walking to the living room for a new pair.

I managed to forget them all in an effort to get clean.

Cerenity is on her phone taking calls as she watches me walk into the room, and it's so quiet in the apartment, I wonder where everyone went. Hiding my smirk, I drop the towel as I bend over to slowly look through the bags. I can feel her gaze on me as I move, my pierced cock beginning to grow with her attention.

"No, Xavier, I know. I'm back in town again, and the threat has been neutralized," she says, continuing without wavering in the conversation. "Yes, the club can open again tomorrow night. I'll be there with Augustine. Mmhmm."

Pulling a pair of boxers from the bag and a t-shirt, I turn to face her, my cock bobbing against my abs. Her eyes grow wide as I give my shaft a token stroke before I slowly put my boxers on.

"What?" Tiny asks, her voice hoarse. "No, I'm already going stir crazy. You know how I get. My face is a little banged up, but I'll throw on a little extra concealer and foundation. Please?"

There's a tone of desperation I didn't expect to hear, and I put my dick away, beginning to worry. Why does she sound like that? What the fuck is going on?

Getting the response she must have needed, Cerenity relaxes.

"Great," she sighs. "Can you text the dancers to meet me a couple of hours before we open tomorrow? I'd like to watch them run through their routine before we open. The burlesque theme will be perfect as people get their drinks before we really ramp up for the night. Mmhmmm…"

Pulling on my shirt, I'm just enough of an arrogant ass to let her eat up my body before covering it all up. I want to look at rental space for a gym, a place for underground fights, but I can't do shit without Corbin's permission.

Fuck, I wonder how he'd feel if we moved our next fight here? The location of the fights aren't announced until the day of the event to keep the police from discovering them. I bet people would travel in for a night out on the town if we made the week long event into one night.

Then, we could just transition them all to be here in Minneapolis.

Damn, my mind is really whirling with possibilities. This could be a damn gold mine. I also need to run this all by Tommy, but I bet he'd be down for the challenge.

Throwing on joggers, I grab my phone and start scouting for real estate. I'd rather buy than lease, and have the money to do it if I needed to do it alone. As my alpha, Tommy probably will want to help back me up, so either way money isn't an issue.

"That was quite the show," Cerenity says, lips twitching as she puts her phone down on the table and stands. "I just want to know one thing, Casanova."

"Anything," I grunt, getting a feeling she's about to hand me my ass.

"Is the hallway bathroom clean enough to eat off of?" she asks with a bright smile.

Grinning, I slowly walk toward her, telegraphing my actions as I raise my hand to cup her face and swipe her bottom lip with my thumb.

"It absolutely is, Mistress. Just say the word and I will," I growl. Her gasp signals her desire as well as perfume, and her widened eyes show her surprise as she steps back. I notice the way her eyes dilate, and I wonder if she can smell me now. The little omega is getting better at hiding certain things.

I want to knock down those high walls to see what she hides, while at the same time, knowing I can't push too hard. Tiny just may run away screaming and never give me a chance if I do that.

"The next time I make dinner, I'll be sure to serve it on the bathroom floor for you," she rasps. Fuck, even when she's threatening me, she's sexy as sin.

Damn, I got it bad. Smirking, I step back to slide my feet into my shoes.

"I look forward to it," I growl, loving how confused she looks. This is much better than the terror from earlier. She can prank me a million times if it means she's no longer scared of me.

I'm a big alpha, trained to fight and occasionally kill, and I'm not a good person. I'm better. I'll burn the world down and remake it to be safer for her. That's what Tommy and I did when we killed Arthur and his friends, and I don't regret one moment of it.

Taking a breath, I say something I never thought I would. "It was wrong of us to handcuff you after you had such a shit night," I grunt. Fuck, the words taste like ash, but I need to say them. "There's no excuse for our behavior, but Tommy and I aren't going anywhere, Tiny, so you'd best make your peace with that."

Turning, I leave her standing there gobsmacked. I'm being a coward for running, but I'm peopled out. I have no other words right now, so I decide to take my real estate hunting on the internet elsewhere.

Literally anywhere else.