Chapter Twenty

CHAPTER TWENTY

Dav

Cinna couldn’t help herself at the electronics store. Just picking up a tablet became researching the best tablet in the store before getting it, a case, a foldable keyboard, a new set of expensive headphones, a burner phone—because Joel’s was cracked, and he needed a phone to contact her with—, and a gamer backpack to keep it all in.

It was the poor guy who worked there who actually talked her out of a laptop as well, insisting that the tablet was pretty much the same thing.

I said nothing as she made another stop, cloning her many keys to her door, and slipping them into the bag as well before stopping off at the local high school, and asking them to call down Joel Davis to give him his backpack.

But she’d walked out as the secretary was making the call to his classroom.

Like she didn’t want him to feel weird about having to thank her for the gifts. Or put herself in the position to try to brush away his thanks.

“Okay. I feel like I should give you an out now, before you get any deeper in this,” she said, looking past me down the street. “Because I don’t want any of this getting back to Renzo. Not until it’s done.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” I was already neck-deep in this. “What is the end-game here, though?”

“Those three bastards dead. Along with whoever sent them after me.”

“You have no idea?” I asked.

“Not a fucking clue. I mean, I’m not the most pleasant person, and I imagine I piss people off. To shit-talk me. Or sabotage a job. Yeah. But to this extent? No, I have no idea.”

“What jobs have you been working the past year?” I asked, falling into step beside her. “What?” I asked at her scrunched glance.

“Too many to name. Not all of us are complete slackers, you know,” she said, but there was no bite in her words.

“Did any of the jobs fuck someone over?”

“Almost every job fucks someone over in some way or another. Someone else always wants what we end up getting.”

“True,” I agreed. “But that was a lot of violence. Like they were told to make you suffer first.”

“Yeah,” she agreed, eyes going sad.

I didn’t want to push her, knowing how quick she was to throw up her walls when she felt defensive. So I just followed her around as she talked to neighborhood crews and contacts in local businesses.

A few people thought that Chet looked familiar but couldn’t place why.

Drake, the dealer I’d talked to outside of Cinna’s building, had been the only one to look at the picture with a raised brow. “Never saw him. Now I guess I never will,” he added with a knowing look.

“Can I ask your scouts?” she asked, nodding toward the kids on the block, some riding bikes, others just seemingly hanging out.

“Whatever knocks your socks off, ma. But it’ll prolly cost ya.”

“I’m almost out of cash,” Cinna admitted, having already bribed half a dozen people to get information out of them.

“I got enough to bribe some kids,” I said, underestimating just what hustlers children their age could already be.

But we’d lucked out on kid three, my last several twenties tucked in his pocket as he slowly circled us on his bike.

“I’ve seen him,” the kid said, seeming to enjoy having the power, wanting us to ask for every bit of information.

“Where? When? With who?” Cinna asked, trying to be patient which was, admittedly, not her strong suit.

“Last night, maybe?” he said, pausing in his circles. “Saw him get outta a car.”

“Any chance you know your cars?” I asked.

“Black one,” the kid said with a smirk. This was the city, after all. Most kids who grew up here would never have a reason to get a license or drool over cars.

“Who was in it?”

“That guy. Another one driving. And a lady riding passenger.”

“A lady?” Cinna and I asked in unison.

“What did she look like?” Cinna asked, and I could see her gears turning, trying to figure out what woman she might have wronged in a deal. Which was likely a much smaller pool of possibilities than if it had all been men.

“Brown hair. Old, like you,” the kid said, making Cinna let out a surprised scoff.

“That’s me. One foot in the fucking grave,” she said, shaking her head. “What about the driver? Anything stand out about him?”

“Looked like everyone else,” the kid said, shrugging. “But the lady was yelling at him before they pulled off, leaving the other guy here. Never saw him come out.”

“Any chance you’d recognize them or the car if you saw them again?”

“Maybe.”

“And if I asked you to call me if you saw them…”

“Drake don’t let us work for anyone else,” he said, getting back on his bike and letting out a surprisingly loud whistle for such a small kid.

“It’s something,” I said to Cinna who stood there looking defeated.

“Is it?” she asked. “I haven’t done a deal with a woman. She could be anyone. A daughter or wife of someone whose business I ran down. Someone related to a guy I had beat up or killed. This doesn’t narrow it down much.”

“It’s more information than we had this morning,” I reminded her, but her shoulders stayed tense. “How about we go back to your place for some food? Toss some ideas around?”

I saw the battle on her face as it waged.

Part of her didn’t want to spend any more time with me than necessary, was worried about not being able to keep the wall up with more time spent together. The other part, though, and I watched as it started to win, wanted my company.

“Fine. Then go ask around your crew,” she said, drawing a line in the sand. You’re not staying the night .

We headed back to her apartment, and I stood there as she worked all her locks free before moving inside and jerking back into me.

“Sorry. You left me the keys…” Joel said, sitting on the couch with his new tablet on his lap, his headphones around his neck.

“No, it’s fine. I just… you surprised me. You remember Dav,” she said, absentmindedly waving toward me. “Don’t start,” she added, shooting the kid a pointed look that made me feel left out.

“Dav,” Joel said, inclining his chin at me. “Any chance your nickname is The Bloody ?”

“I swear to god, kid,” Cinna snapped, pointing a menu at him.

But Joel was still smiling to himself, unbothered by her tone. I guess when you had parents like his, who I could hear through the walls a few apartments away, you weren’t fazed by a little attitude. Besides, he was clearly goading her, even if I didn’t understand the reference.

“We’re ordering food,” she said. “What do you want?” she asked, bringing him the menu.

It was interesting watching Cinna interact with Joel. It was part annoyed big sister and part concerned mother. Sides of her that I wasn’t sure anyone else got to see.

“Where are you going?” she asked after we placed the order, and Joel hopped up and headed to the door.

“Gotta grab something,” he said, shrugging off her concern, likely not used to having anyone give a shit if he was coming and going.

He came back a few minutes later with a lot of banging outside of the door, prompting Cinna to rip it open, only to find the kid dragging metal folding chairs in.

“Where did you get those?” she asked.

“Basement. Lotta shit down there,” he declared. “Little dirty. But they’ll work. Want me to go get the food?”

“Normally, no,” she said, reaching to pull off her boots. “But my feet are killing me. One sec,” she added, disappearing into her bedroom, then coming back with a stack of cash. “There. Get drinks too. I don’t have anything.”

“Be back,” the kid said, grabbing his new phone before rushing out, excited to have a job. And maybe, in his own way, to pay back Cinna for the gifts, even though neither had mentioned it.

“Ugh,” Cinna said, dropping onto the couch, flexing her sore feet.

I moved to sit next to her, reaching for her legs.

“What are you doing?” she asked, suspicious until she felt my thumbs press into her arch, which made a sound escape her that went right to my dick.

“This isn’t going to lead to anything, you know,” she said, narrowing her eyes at me even as her back arched when both my thumbs pressed into her sole.

“Okay,” I agreed.

“I mean it.”

“I’m sure you do,” I said. “Are you going to keep talking, or do you want to actually relax and enjoy this?”

“I am going to make a list of all the jobs I’ve worked. Go through it one by…” she started saying, breaking off on a little mewling sound.

“You really don’t understand the concept of relaxing, do you?” I asked, pressing into each of her toes, then giving them each a slight tug before moving onto her other foot.

“It’s not my strong suit,” she admitted, watching me with heavy-lidded eyes. It was mostly enjoyment, but there was a little spark there too that I could have stoked into a flame if the kid hadn’t come back with food, muttering about some fight going on at the pizza place, completely oblivious to interrupting something.

Within a few minutes, food was spread across the coffee table, Joel was on the couch, and Cinna and I were on the folding chairs, watching one of Cinna’s home renovation shows until Joel complained his way into Buffy reruns.

Cinna grumbled, but she was clearly just as into it as the kid was. Because, before anyone even realized how much time had passed, we were five episodes deep, and the kid had pulled down the blanket from the back of the couch, and was struggling to stay awake.

Not long after, Cinna quietly got up to start cleaning up the mess from dinner, tiptoeing around her apartment.

“Does he sleep here a lot?” I asked, voice low, as I washed up the mismatched plates. She had exactly two of them, so Cinna herself had eaten off one of the lids of the to-go containers.

“This is only the second time,” she said. “I know I probably shouldn’t let him. But…”

“But it would have been nice if someone had done something like this for you as a kid,” I filled in, understanding.

“Something like that,” she agreed. “I know what it’s like to feel like you’re sleeping with one eye open. I think it’s why he’s so tired when he’s here. He knows he’s safe.”

“You’re good with him,” I said.

“I usually suck with kids. They’re always afraid of me.”

“He’s not really a kid,” I said, shrugging. “No more than we were at his age, anyway.”

“Yeah,” she agreed.

“Besides, I’m sure you’ll be good with kids you know.”

“I’m not having kids,” she said as she put leftovers into the fridge. “I can’t, actually, even if I wanted them. Which I don’t.”

“I’m not having kids either,” I admitted, realizing I’d never actually said that out loud before.

“Really?” she asked, watching me with her head tipped to the side.

“Really. These fucked-up genes end with me. Hasn’t been a normal person in my bloodline in generations.”

“You’re normal,” she said. Then, at my raised brows, I saw her remember the times when the mask slipped, when the darker side of me came out. “I mean… normal for a mafia capo, anyway.”

“I got snipped at nineteen. I’ve never regretted it,” I said, shrugging. “I can enjoy everyone else’s kids. Then go home and get a good night of sleep.”

“I’m a fucking nightmare when I’m sick. The idea of having to take care of a needy, crying kid when I’m feeling like shit…” she said, shaking her head.

“Yeah, you’re not a great patient,” I said, smiling at her.

“I’m pretty sure I actually snarled at you a time or two.”

“Or twenty,” I agreed, getting that rare little twinkle of laughter out of her.

“I bet you’re a big baby when you’re sick,” she accused.

“Next time I have a cold, I’ll call you over to play nursemaid. Not,” I said at her eye roll, “what I meant. Though, you’d look fucking amazing in a sexy nurse getup. Short white dress, thigh highs, a red bra peeking out…”

“Given this a lot of thought, have you?” she asked, shaking her head at me, but there was a smile on her lips as she turned away from me. “Keep dreaming because that’s not going to happen. I don’t think I’ve… ever worn a dress.”

“We’ve finally found the real reason you didn’t go to the boss’s wedding,” I teased. “You didn’t want to wear a dress.”

“You got me,” she agreed, stifling a yawn. “I’m gonna go take a shower. If you could lock up on your way out, that’d be great,” she said as I dried off a plate.

I was going to do just that, not wanting to push when things were going… if not well, at least not badly. She wasn’t icing me out. That was a step in the right direction. But as she was making her way to the bathroom with her change of clothes in hand, I caught her giving me a long, longing glance before she closed herself behind the door.

I battled with myself for all of a minute after the water turned on.

Then I was striding across her apartment, reaching for the knob, finding it unlocked, and letting myself inside.

She had a solid shower curtain, so I managed to strip down and pull back the curtain before she even knew I was there.

She let out a surprised little gasp, but her gaze immediately heated and moved over me as I stepped inside.

I pulled the curtain closed, then stalked toward her, backing her up against the wall, grabbing the back of her neck and letting my lips crash onto hers, swallowing the little moan she let out as our bodies touched.

Her lips were hungry under mine, demanding, even as her hands started to roam over me, sliding over my back, her fingers finding old scars and running over them.

My teeth snagged her lower lip, biting hard enough to drag a ragged moan out of her. I took advantage, my tongue sliding inside to find hers, feeling the way a shiver coursed through her at the sensation.

It was all feeling then, our hands sliding over each other’s wet bodies, teasing, squeezing.

Frustrated with the need to feel more of her, I grabbed her, turned her, pulled her back against my chest.

My hands drifted over her then, up her thighs, over her hips, her belly, then up to cover her breasts, squeezing.

Cinna moaned, her head falling back on my shoulder as my thumbs and forefingers found her nipples, and started to roll them, working them into tightened points.

It wasn’t long before my hand was between her thighs, teasing and toying until she was writhing against my fingers and palm, until she was rocking back against my cock.

“Dav, please,” she moaned, her hips rocking harder.

I used my foot to spread her legs a bit, then shifted so my cock slid against her pussy, loving the way she gasped and wiggled back against me.

“Now, Dav,” she begged. “It’s okay,” she said. “I’m all negative,” she added. “You?”

“Yeah,” I said, anticipation building.

I had rules about sex. Namely, I didn’t have it without protection. Ever.

But this was Cinna.

It was… different.

“Same,” I said, rocking a little faster against her.

“Then what are you waiting for?” she grumbled, angling her ass up a bit more.

I didn’t need more encouragement than that.

I slid back, pressed against her, then surged in, feeling her tight walls close around me, making me almost lose fucking control right then and there.

And, still, my control over myself right then was fragile as my hands sank into her hips, using them to jerk back against me as I slammed into her again.

Hard.

Deep.

Cinna threw out her hands, bracing them on the wall of the shower to hold herself in place as I fucked her, both of us losing ourselves in each other with each passing moment.

Cinna’s moans echoed in the space as my thrusts got faster, rougher, losing myself into that darker part of myself by each moment.

But she just begged for more of it, gladly took all of me, through one orgasm, then building toward another, making my hand go around to close over her mouth, not wanting her to wake up Joel as she got more and more lost in the sensations.

“Come for me,” I demanded, getting close myself, needing her to shatter with me.

Cinna let out a whimpering sound, her breath frantic against my hand as I fucked her harder still.

Until her pussy was clenching around my cock, her body trembling as she came, taking me with her, slamming deep, and groaning out a curse as my hand slammed onto the wall above hers, my legs feeling weak.

“Fuck,” I hissed, forehead resting on her head as my hand left her mouth, wrapping around her waist instead, holding her against me, not wanting her to move away. Not yet.

But she showed no signs of moving away as she pushed off of the wall to lean back into me, head turning in toward my neck, eyes closed, happy to be there with me, letting me hold her. For just a little while.

It ended up being the shitty hot water heater in her building that had us finally breaking apart as the water went from hot, to tepid, to cold in the span of a few minutes.

I climbed out first as Cinna grumbled her way through cleaning up, making my lips curve up at her inventive language as I toweled off, then waited, holding a towel open for her.

Her gaze stayed stubbornly averted as she quickly toweled off, then turned her attention to the sink cabinet, fishing out a toothbrush and paste and getting to work.

I thought this was the beginning of the wedge again, her putting up those walls, forcing me to stay on the outside of them.

But then her hand went back into the cabinet, producing a sealed pack of extra toothbrushes, holding it out to me in a silent invitation.

I had a feeling Cinna was not the kind of woman to offer you a toothbrush unless she was inviting you to stay the night.

So I took the offer, standing beside her as we both did such a normal, mundane task together like people who had been together for years, instead of two unattached people who were clumsily trying to not fall on our faces as we navigated this new terrain.

She bent to gather all of our discarded clothes, bringing them with her as she moved out into her bedroom, so I followed in my towel, trying to keep my lips from turning up, knowing how mercurial her moods could be, and if she was feeling the slightest bit unsure about this, seeing me smiling might send it all shattering to the ground.

“You’re too big,” she grumbled after tossing and turning for a few minutes, bumping into me each time.

“Your bed is too small,” I countered, sliding an arm under her and curling her up on my chest. “There. Better. Go to sleep.”

She turned her head up to shoot me narrowed eyes, but there was a soft smile on her lips as she rested back down on me before drifting off to sleep.

I lay there a while, fingers drifting through her drying hair, hoping I’d managed to carefully remove a few more bricks from her wall.

And that she wouldn’t try to hastily brick herself back up when she woke up in the morning.