Chapter 4

Trying her best not to wince in pain while wiggling her fingers, she inhaled sharply instead. She sat on the edge of the examination table in the makeshift in-home clinic that only those involved in the city's criminal underground knew about.

It looked like the room must have been a sewing room in its past life. The strip of wallpaper bordering the top of the walls had vintage-looking spools of thread and silver needles sprawling across it. The colors were faded maroons and olives indicative of an era long gone.

Instead of smelling like a typical sterile medical office, it smelled like cranberry and spice reminiscent of the holiday season. The basket of potpourri probably had a lot to do with that. In a way, it made seeking medical attention a lot less overwhelming. It could even be considered cozy.

Dr. Patricia Kimmel continued her examination of Layne's right hand which was now swollen and bruised within hours after using it to strike Liam down.

Layne had been using Dr. Patty, as she preferred to be called, for years, especially when it came to injuries that required a no-questions-asked policy. The last thing that was needed was nosey doctors asking about the frequency of injuries sustained by her or anyone else who did work on her behalf. Layne still wasn't sure how much Dr. Patty knew about the O'Reilly business matters, but the woman never dared to ask.

It was the way that Dr. Patty scrunched up her broad nose in disapproval that made Layne uneasy about the forthcoming diagnosis. After landing an explosive hit to Liam's face, Layne suspected something had gone haywire by the snapping sensation in her hand surrounding her ring and pinky fingers followed by numbness. That was before the swelling even began.

"How bad is it?" She asked the doc, hoping for news that her worst suspicions wouldn't be confirmed.

Gently setting Layne's hand down she shook her head, her loosely held bun loosened up even further with the movement. Dr. Patty shoved her square-framed glasses up on top of her head of black hair that showed signs of silvery grey streaks coming in. "It's a boxer's fracture, Layne. You'll need to get this immobilized to start allowing it to heal properly."

Layne groaned in annoyance. Of course, of all faces to break her hand on it would be Liam's. Not to mention, Joey was going to lose his shit.

"How long before it's all healed up? Three weeks?"

The older woman gave Layne a stern look. "Try two to three months. Minimum. Especially if you want to regain full use of it."

While the doctor gathered some supplies to wrap up Layne's hand, Layne grimaced at the thought of any part of her not being fully functional for that length of time. She had too much going on professionally not to be physically on top of her game.

Layne hopped off the table after her hand was shored up in a soft black splint with her ring and pinky fingers stabilized together.

"Oh, don't forget to take these as needed for the pain." Dr. Patty handed her over a bottle of painkillers. Layne's mouth went dry as she stared at the bottle that was just freely given to her. Her mind went back to that dark spot she had been in after her father's funeral where she relied on the numbing effects of prescription medication.

Layne nodded at her briefly. "Thanks." She pocketed the pills into her leather jacket. They felt like they carried the weight of a two-ton bag of bricks. Despite the pain stemming from her fifth metacarpal, she wasn't sure she could bring herself to allow the relief to enter back into her system.

She began to leave when Dr. Patty lightly touched her arm. "Before you go," the look in her eyes shifted into those resembling a concerned mother. "Please, be careful out there. As much as I know you don't like coming here to see me, I also don't want an increase in our visits. There's been something brewing in the air, and I don't like the feel of it." Well, that wasn't ominous at all. For a woman who relied on science, it was out of character for her to tap into unsubstantiated gut feelings.

With a partial smile tugging at her lips, Layne shrugged casually. "You know me, but I will do my best to avoid any more visits for a while."

When she finally left the modest home that housed Dr. Patty's unlicensed medical practice, she pulled out the plastic pill container and looked it over. The temptation was literally in the palm of her hand staring her down. It whispered such beautiful promises to her like a devil on her shoulder. She squeezed her palm around the cylindrical object and cursed under her breath.

As she passed by a trash receptacle on her way back to her car, she chucked the pills inside. It was going to be a shitty and painful couple of months.

Layne sat in the backroom of McGregor's after texting Joey to meet her there for a quick bite to eat for a late dinner. She hoped that being in a somewhat public setting would help keep his reaction to the turn of events on the milder side. Thanks to her ownership interest in the pub and the seedy nature of its patrons, there was a lot of discretion as to what transpired there.

When she saw Joey walk in, wearing a rugged pair of jeans and a slate gray shirt under his leather jacket, she lost her train of thought of how she was going to explain to him how she ended up with a broken hand. His blonde hair was a bit out of place which usually was an indication he had just removed his motorcycle helmet.

He laid his eyes on her, immediately noticing the black brace on her hand. His cocoa-colored eyes filled with darkness. Striding over to her he gently lifted her arm while his muscular body vibrated with the need to inflict violence on her behalf. "What the hell happened?" The tone of his voice indicated he was ready to go break the hand of the motherfucker responsible, or worse.

Attempting to brush it off, she murmured, "It's not that bad." She eased her arm out of his hold, but it only prompted him to look her over for any other potential injuries she may have sustained. His hands roamed over her body only to find nothing else to feed his desire to inflict suffering.

"I'm fine, Joey," she attempted to reassure him again. "It's just a minor fracture from trying to put Liam in his place. It was worth it."

Not seeing any other obvious wounds, he sighed and drew her in with a hand on either side of her head and laid a kiss on her forehead. "How did he take the news?"

She shook her head. "He already knew."

"What?" His voice dropped in disbelief as his hands fell to the tops of her shoulders. "What do you mean he already knew?"

Trying not to get herself all riled up again, she took a deep breath. "He's known. He's known this entire goddamn time that everything was supposed to be under my control."

"Two-faced, selfish motherfucker, I'm going to fuckin' kill him!" Joey stepped back from her and began to pace across the floor. His fingers combed through his long-cut dirty blonde hair as he wracked his brain on all the ways Liam tallied up a long list of shitty deeds.

Layne retrieved her glass of golden ale with her left hand, the engagement ring on her finger lightly tapping against the glass as she did so. Her eyes watched as Joey worked through his thoughts and feelings. Taking a few sips of the beer before setting it back down again, she finally decided to try to get him to settle down.

"Look, he can either get on board or not. The guys I signed on to work the daily operations know who is calling the shots. The few who pretended to respect Liam's authority will go where the money is." And the money was definitely not in her brother's hands. Eric Ellis's inheritance, liquidation of assets, and life insurance payouts were to thank for that.

Out of habit, she went to prop her hand on her hip but hissed as the pressure elicited a sharp burst of pain in her hand despite the brace. She dropped her hand down to her side trying to control her exhale through the discomfort.

It was the sound of her reaction to the pain that shook Joey from his spiraling thoughts. He paused mid-step and turned himself to head back to where she stood. He looked down at her, his brown eyes holding a soft command to them. "Sit."

His eyes were met with her own delicate green hues. "I don't need to?—"

"Shush." His finger trailed across her lips. "Did it sound like I was asking? I will force your ass in that chair if I have to."

A glimmer of mischief reached her eyes as her mouth formed a small smirk while she thought about him making good on his word. It made other parts of her body ache in such delicious ways.

Joey's hands dropped to her hips, firmly grasping them, and guiding her back until she was at a chair. His tone dropped to a light rumble. "Layney, sit down."

It wasn't difficult to follow his orders, the way he had spoken them had made her legs weak. Her ass found the seat of the chair and now her head was tilted up at a greater angle while she stared up at him.

"Good girl." His hand brushed over her cheek before he rewarded her with a gentle yet brief kiss. "Stay here while I get us some food." Before he left, he slid his jacket from the fit shape of his upper body, draping it over the back of his chosen chair. The short sleeves of his shirt allowed all the designs of his tattoos sprawling over his arms to be on display. All the rich shades of red roses stood out against the darker ravens and skulls.

He disappeared for a few minutes to head out to the main area and put in an order for food with John, Sean's backup when he had the night off. When he returned, she was still where he had left her but nursing her beer as her only option to self-medicate.

"What did you get me?"

Joey grinned and pulled his seat up closer to her. "The same damn thing you always get."

Layne smiled. "Cowboy burger, medium-rare, extra bacon, and barbeque sauce on the side?"

He rolled his eyes as if he didn't have her very specific order memorized by now before he nodded. "Yeah, and I told them I didn't want to hear you bitch about it being overcooked again."

With her injured hand useless and throbbing with constant pain, she kept it resting on top of her thigh. Joey took notice of how much she was babying it. "What did Dr. Patty give you for the pain?"

She shook her head. "Standard shit that will knock you on your ass for a week. I just tossed it in the trash."

With a sigh, he leaned over and squeezed her thighs reassuringly. "You can't just sit here and suffer. I won't let you go down that dark road again, but there's no reason for you to constantly hurt." Watching Layne being in pain was one of the few things that had him feeling like it was worse than death itself.

"I didn't want to risk it. Besides, with Liam now being on notice that he either is with me or he isn't, there's too much to let my brain get all foggy. Then, there's all the work that's going on with trying to reestablish power in the city." Layne did her best to brush it all off as no big deal. All that she had said may have held some truth behind it, but the biggest factor was her prior history of using painkillers to take care of more than just the physical pain.

Before he could try and convince her otherwise, John came over with two plates of food. Layne's burger, and Joey's cluster of buffalo wings. Their conversation paused while he delivered the food to their table before he left again.

She felt Joey's eyes on her still, despite their food having arrived and sitting in front of them. She held half of the messy burger in her left hand while she stared back at him. "What?"

He smiled deviously at her. "Nothing. If you're not going to take anything, I'm just thinking of all the other ways I can make sure you feel good." Joey reached over and slid his hand along her inner thigh. "I want your body aching for far better reasons."

Putting her burger back down on the plate she gave a playful frown. "You know, now that you say something, it really does hurt. A lot." He was one drug that she didn't ever want to break the habit on.

"Oh? Well, I can't have that. I have just what you need." He rose from his seat and took her uninjured hand, leading her back to the men's bathroom.

Once inside and ensuring there were no other occupants, he locked the door. His hand settled on the small of her back and pulled her back to him, not allowing her to stray too far.

Joey pressed her back up against the door as his face dropped down closer to hers. His eyes were full of lustful thoughts and intentions. His hand wrapped around her throat just under her jaw. "You remember the last time I had you in a bathroom all to myself?"

Layne whimpered at the memory. How could she forget? She had been out on a date before Joey ambushed her on the way to the ladies' room. His hand had brutally brought her to the cusp of an orgasm that had threatened to leave her entirely undone, and then he abandoned her there on that ledge. It had left her in an epic state of frustration.

"Mmhmm," she responded, already breathless just from having his fingers curled around her neck. It drove heat down into the pooling sensation of desire in her core.

His smirk showed off how much he knew his actions were affecting her. "Good. This time, I'm going to show you just what I really wanted to do to you that night."

A chill of excitement flooded across her body. Her lips parted in speechless awe. Joey took advantage of her open mouth by claiming it with his. Immediately, his tongue dove inside to seek out her own.

He stepped up against her, letting her feel the heat coming off of his body and the way his jeans were failing to conceal his arousal. When she tried to grab onto him, she forgot about the restricted use of her hand. The movement drew a protest from the fresh injury and her gasp of pain got swallowed up by the kiss they shared.

Joey pulled back, releasing her throat, his hands carefully guided both of hers away from him. "You're going to keep your hands to yourself. I want to show you exactly what you do to me simply by standing here looking so fuckin' beautiful."

Her teeth bit into her lower lip while she grinned. "I can't make any promises."

His hand slid up the back of her neck, getting lost in the tangles of her chestnut waves of hair. Closing his fist around a handful of it, he tugged her head back as his lips dragged up along her throat. Once his mouth was at her ear, his gravelly whisper came forth. "If that's the case, I can't make any promises I will let you come all over my cock like I know you want to."

A delicate little moan came from her at the mere thought of how badly she wanted him buried deep inside of her. Her hands fought the urge to latch onto him again.

Joey nibbled along her lobe for a second, waiting to see if she was going to adhere to his instructions. When she refrained from putting her hands on him, he smiled and pulled her by her hips until he had her positioned at the counter where all three sinks were lined up.

His hands spun her around so she was facing the large mirror on the wall behind the sinks. Layne met his eyes in the reflection before she felt his hand run up along her spine. It gradually placed pressure on her until she was hinged at the hips and bent over the edge of the counter.

Joey's fingers hooked onto the side of the black leggings she was wearing and rolled them down past her thighs. He squatted down with the motion, the warmth of his breath caressing over the bare skin of her ass before he laid several kisses across it.

The fact that she was still going without panties had his dick twitching excitedly in his pants. It was simply knowing he would have immediate access to her pussy without so much as a damn piece of string that passed for women's underwear these days.

As he laid those kisses across the roundness of her behind, she felt his hands glide up the backs of her thighs. Her knees quivered in response, threatening to give out at any moment.

When he stood up, he slid his hand between her legs, allowing his fingers to stroke along her slit. "You're goddamn soaked, Layney." He gave a broad smile while he single-handedly began to undo his belt and open up his pants.

She pushed her hips against his fingers, craving more. "Joey, stop fucking around. You know I can't take it when you tease."

He pushed two of his fingers into her, Layne's arousal allowing for smooth entry. "Don't lie, Layney. You can take a hell of a lot. I've seen this cunt of yours take anything I've ever given it." Joey's fingers slid in and out of her, drawing out the sweet sound of her moans with each movement.

Layne stayed glued to her place, bent over the counter while his fingers stroked those parts deep within her. When he removed his hand entirely, her moan dissolved into a whimper. Before she could protest, Joey had his cock out of his pants and shoved deep into her pussy in one quick movement.

Her body gripped around his length from the second he entered her. Joey groaned as his dick immediately throbbed as her walls encased him. He grabbed her at the waist and began to fuck her from behind, her ass presented to him like the prettiest little gift of encouragement to keep going. He moaned out, "Mmm, fuck…"

"Yes, God, yes!" Layne let the pleasure quickly take over her body, allowing everything else to fade away from her mind.

Joey continued to slam into her tight cunt, each thrust of his hips becoming more urgent and full of need. "Beg me for my cum, Layney. I need to hear how much you want your pussy filled with it until it's dripping down your damn legs." His voice grew breathless as his desires began to approach the apex of pleasure.

Her body trembled at the sound of his words. Each stroke of his cock deep inside her body, pushing against her sweet spot, had her coming more and more unraveled. With the mirror in front of her, her eyes looked up at his image reflected in it.

"Joey, please, I need your cum deep inside of me. I need to take all of it." Her gaze witnessed his heated expressions and it had her quickly losing herself. All of Layne's body tensed up as she shook from the violent orgasm that ripped through her as she screamed out.

The moment she spilled over into her climax, Joey gave several more frantic thrusts into her as he breathlessly moaned out at the sensation of her body's warm fluid coming over his rigid cock.

He growled out a curse as he gave one final slam of his hips up against her, driving his length fully into her before his seed erupted. Each spasm of his cock releasing more of his cum until he finally felt the sigh of satisfaction settle deep in his chest.

Layne dropped her head down until she felt the cool counter against her cheek. Still panting after that explosive release, she couldn't even manage to get her words into a coherent sentence. "I… Wow. Everything."

What broken hand? The sea of ecstasy made it feel as good as new.