Ruining Me: The Insidious Seven MC, Book Two, page 19
He scoffs and frowns ridiculously deeply at nobody in particular. The look making me bite my lip to keep my laughter at bay. “I would have brought you one of those damn houseplants that you like. You hate flowers,” he crinkles his nose in disgust, making me grin. “They’re cliche and they die too quickly. I’ve never gotten a girl flowers before, not even Alana,” he says, his voice garbled.
My smile falters as I pause, not sure if I heard him right. He knows I prefer houseplants over flowers? I didn’t realize he paid that much attention to me. Why would he? He has proven time and time again that he doesn’t care for me. So if that’s true, why would he know what I like and what I don’t like?
And who is Alana? I know logically he has been with other women, but I’ve never actually heard him mention any of their names. Even though I have no idea who this old flame is, I can’t help but feel a surge of jealousy as I hear him say her name. I try to shove it down and forget the other woman's name as he continues as if he had never spoken at all.
His thin hospital gown leaves little to the imagination as I help him lay back down. Avoiding looking at the substantial tent of the fabric as he finally reclines, I pull the blanket over him as quickly as possible. Just the slightest glimpse of his excitement has my blood running hot.
Once he’s down, I inspect his bandages for any indication that he may have popped a stitch. Dr. Haley assured me he would be fine. Though we still don’t know how he was stabbed, whoever did it avoided any major arteries. He’ll be swollen and sore for a few days but other than a slight limp, nobody will be able to tell anything is amiss with him.
He becomes increasingly restless as I take a peek at his stitches. They are all still intact. He tugs at the gown covering his chest, revealing his tanned, inked skin below before I move it back into place.
“I’m begging you, please keep your gown on. I don’t think Maria’s heart can take much more of you.” I bite back my grin as he looks up at me with furrowed brows.
“What the hell happened?” he asks, his eyes starting to clear of any residual sleep and disorientation.
“10 milligrams of Haldol,” I say before pulling the blanket back over his wrapped thigh. When I look up again, he's staring at me as if I spoke a different language. I send him a blank stare. “You were being a dick, so the doctor shot you in the ass with a tranq.”
He sighs heavily before running his hand down his face, pulling his cheeks and eyes down in a way that makes me chuckle. His violet eyes shimmer with what looks like regret before he lets his hand fall to his lap.
“It’s fine, you sleep it off, and everything will be alright,” I assure him. When he’s all tucked back into bed, I start to turn away from him. But just as I go to take a step, his hand flies out and grabs my wrist again. This time, he’s surprisingly gentle as he pulls me closer to the bed.
“Stay,” he whispers quietly, and something tugs at my chest. His eyes are soft as he looks down at our hands. He rubs small circles on the inside of my wrist as he does something I never would have expected. He says “Please,” so quietly that I think I imagined it until I see the plea shimmering in his dark gaze.
I can do nothing more than nod my head as I sit on the edge of his bed. Then, shocking myself in the process, I allow him to wrap his arms around me again and pull me to him. He holds me around my waist, forcing me to wrap my arm around his neck so he can nuzzle into me again. Soon, his cheek rests against my breast, his head rising and falling with each of my breaths. I know there is no way he can’t hear the way my heart beats erratically in my chest. My fingers are shaking as I timidly grab his forearm draped over my belly. Soon, his breathing evens back out as sleep takes him under again.
I shouldn’t be doing this. I shouldn’t be entertaining his need for human contact. But at this point, I can’t help it. For the last twenty-four hours, I’ve felt nothing but shame and self-hatred, and right now, I need the comfort of another human to remind me of my own worth. Even if this comfort comes from the same person who made me feel this way in the first place, it feels too damn good to ignore. The way his warmth and scent surround me has me melting into him again. I can’t fight the feeling of this being right any longer.
And even if I know this will end badly for me, even if I know he holds all the power to completely destroy me, I allow him to find comfort in me. And I do something I never thought possible; I find my own comfort within my enemy's arms.
FIFTEEN
DECLAN
The SUV rocks side to side as the driver hits another one of the many potholes in the road, bringing my attention to my sore leg. It’s been two days since I stabbed myself in the thigh. Two days for me to sit and think about the implications of my actions. I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking when I did it. I put not only the job at risk but also Sofee’s protection. I should’ve just let it go, but I couldn’t see past my own jealousy long enough to think about the consequences. I just knew that I needed to get Sofee away from the handsome, tall, rich guy who brought her flowers at three o’clock in the morning.
As if that’s how normal guys behave when they want to date someone.
The reason my leg aches today is that, even though the hospital sent me home with plenty of painkillers, I refused to take any until we’re done with today's agenda. Raiding Matteo's hidey-hole, or at least where we think he’s staying.
Even though I put the hurt on Jimmy two days ago, it doesn't mean he didn’t tuck tail and blab his mouth to the mark. Thus scrubbing the raid and eliminating our element of surprise. It would have been wiser to search the building immediately after learning about it, but we needed time to orchestrate this outfit.
As it stands, we have all joined forces with Rome and the few men he brought with him to New Orleans. I’m currently seated in the back of a black SUV with my brother beside me, Dominic driving, and Li riding shotgun. The rest of the guys split up into the two SUVs trailing closely behind us.
We’re fortunate that all of us get to come along today on our little field trip. Normally, one of us would have had to stay behind to watch Sofee, but Tatum and Max said they’d watch out for her. She has the day off, and last I heard she was going to be loafing around for the entire day, so babysitting should be easy enough for the girls, which is good. I don’t think I would be able to give this mission my full attention if I were worried about Sofee being out and about with just Tate and Max to watch over her.
The SUV bounces as Dom hits another large pothole in the middle of the road. My leg jostles from side to side before I can stop it with a hiss. I gently stretch out the sore muscles before frowning at the back of the driver's head. Using my good leg, I raise my foot and kick the back of his seat.
“Watch out for the goddamn potholes, asshole,” I growl.
Dom chuckles before his light green eyes find mine in his rearview mirror. “I am watching them. I’m watching one right now.” Just as the words leave his mouth, the car bounces yet again, and I bite back my groan as the pain flares hot and deep within my aching muscles. I say nothing as I move forward and slap him across his bald head with a fleshy smack, the assault doing nothing to stop his laughs.
“When did you become such a little pussy, Declan?” He smiles around his short dark beard. Even though my thigh is throbbing, I can’t stop the grin from forming on my own lips. I haven’t seen Dominic since the day I left New York, and I forgot how much I missed the sadistic fucker.
“Right after your mom started showing me hers,” I jab. Liam snorts, then starts laughing loudly. Rome and I join in. Dom’s eyes widen as he finds me in the rearview mirror again.
“That’s just fucking gross, man. She’s your aunt,” he says with his nose curled up in disgust. He slows the vehicle before coming to a complete stop on the side of the road. “And here I was gonna be nice to you and not make fun of the stupid fuck who stabbed himself in the thigh right before a raid.”
Rome's laughter continues as Dom joins in this time. Liam even chuckles as he shrugs my way. “He’s not wrong. Even if you did it to check on my sister, it was still pretty stupid.”
After I stabbed myself and woke up in a hospital bed alone, I had to concoct a reason for my limp. I told a half-truth when I said I needed a reason to go inside and check on Sofee. But, I still lied when I told everyone TSA was malfunctioning and not that I was just a jealous freak who couldn’t stand her talking to some other guy.
I feared Max would see through my lie that I had no audio or visual of Sofee since she created the app to be flawless. She was pretty pissed when she was first told, but for some reason dropped it when she saw me hobble into the clubhouse. After that, she vowed she’d look into the issue, and I haven’t heard a peep from her since.
It was incredibly foolish of me to try to stop Sofee in the first place. I should have let that prick ask her out and left well enough alone. But instead, I injured myself and caused a scene in the ER when she continued to give him her attention. Then I got knocked the fuck out. Leaving Sofee with zero protection. Anything could have happened to her while I was unconscious. All I can recall from being incapacitated is the scent of rose petals and darkness. When I regained consciousness in that dimly lit room, all alone, I realized that I truly deserved to be labeled a stupid fuck.
We all open our doors and step out of the vehicle. Rounding the back, I spot the other SUVs coming to a stop behind us. Unified chuckles follow me to the rear hatch. Soon, the other vehicles stop, and all of my brothers and Rome’s extra guys hop out and head to the back of their vehicles to prepare.
I step back from the rear hatch as Dom presses the button to open it. I shake my leg out as best as I can, stretching the torn muscles to the point of excruciation. I might have to run once we enter the building, and I need my leg to be as functional as possible.
I gaze from the unused road where we've parked, to the seemingly abandoned hotel a few blocks behind us. The area is surrounded by a weed-ridden, broken chain-link fence, much like the caution tape adorning the entrances. Proving just how abandoned this place is. From here, I see no movement and I can only hope looks are deceiving. This is our sole lead on Matteo's possible whereabouts. If he isn't here, we're right back where we started.
“Alright, gentlemen, please select your weapons.” Dom’s voice interrupts my thoughts and pulls my attention.
I glance toward the other men's backs as they grab the guns they want. Rome spared no expense from the looks of it. Glocks, AR-15s with suppressors, hell, he even has a couple of sawed-off shotguns stored within the back of this SUV. I grab for one of the rifles as Liam checks his extended magazine before snapping it back up into place. I do the same before pulling the strap up and over my head, laying the gun to rest against my chest.
Hopefully, with as many men as we have with us, this will be an easy in-and-out snatch-and-grab. But just in case, I ensure that my pistol is ready to go, tucked safely in my shoulder holster under my vest.
With Rome’s guys and the MC, there are twelve of us, all armed to the teeth and chomping at the bit for a little Pelosi blood. Let’s just hope today is the day we get to end this once and for all.
Rome and Dom are still checking their rifles as Liam backs up next to me. He sways toward me, bumping his shoulder into mine.
“I do appreciate you keeping such a good eye on Sofee,” he says, surprising me entirely. How I manage to speak without tripping over my words is beyond me.
“It’s no big—”
“Yes, it is,” he interrupts me. I turn toward him, looking at him intently. His eyes are hard as he speaks again. “I know you don’t really care for her.” My heart lurches in my chest as he recites my carefully crafted deception. “You have no idea what it means to me that you’re willing to do whatever it takes to protect her. I don’t say it enough, but I want to thank you for being such a good brother to me and protecting my sister as if she were your own family.”
I furrow my brows, unsure of what to say and feeling lower than dirt. I’m not a good brother to Li. If I were, I would keep my hands off his little sister.
I’m stopped from having to respond as Rome slams his magazine into place and speaks. “Yup, that's my Fratellino. A good brother,” he bites before turning his back to me and closing the back hatch with more force than necessary.
Great.
I search for the right thing to say to Rome, but before I can speak, I’m interrupted again. What’s a guy gotta do to finish a sentence around here?
“You know,” Tanner says as the rest of our party walks up behind us. “This would go a lot smoother if we knew what this fucker looked like,” he says with a smartass gleam in his eyes. Hayden stands beside the taller ginger, nodding in agreement.
“You won’t find many pictures of the families for a good reason, gentlemen,” Romeo says as he turns and faces the rest of the group. “Wouldn’t want anyone recognizing us and pointing fingers or bullets, now would we?” he asks. When nobody responds, he continues. “Unfortunately, we have no choice but to go in blind. I’ve had my guys on it for months now, and nobody has been able to pin him down.”
“That’s because you haven’t been paying the right people. I bet Max could find him quicker than you could have one of your servants scratch your ass,” Tanner says.
Rome’s eyes flare, but he doesn’t have a chance to respond as Hayden snorts. “You’re just saying that because you want to get your dick wet,” he retorts.
Tanner grins at his friend as I see movement out of the corner of my eye. Standing next to Coop, Ace shifts on his feet. He’s staring at the back of Tanner's head as if he's painting a target. His lips twitch with a sneer before flicking his gaze away.
Ace has never liked Tanner. From the moment Liam brought his lanky, raggedy-ass home, Ace has made his disdain for the taller ginger painstakingly obvious. It’s been almost two years since Tanner joined The Insidious, but to this day, none of us can figure out the animosity between those two.
“That’s enough,” Owen growls as he shoves his way through the crowd. He pulls a thick paper from inside his jacket and unfolds it with practiced fingers. Once unfolded, he flattens the blueprint of the hotel against the hood of the SUV behind us. We all gather around him. “You girls can gossip some other time. Now we have a job to do.” He points two fingers at the blueprint and looks at me and Liam. “There are two main entrances into the complex. Here and here,” he taps on the paper before continuing. “With two more fire exits here,” he says before pointing up to me and Li. “You two, I want you going in the west side entrance, Ace and Coop, east, I’m going in the front, Tanner and Hayden you get the rear. And so help me Dhia, if you make a feckin' joke right now I’ll shoot da both of ya,” Owen growls, his Irish accent coming out in his words as he stares daggers at the dynamic duo.
Tanner pulls his lips tight, and Ken covers a laugh with a cough as they both nod at our leader. With that, Owen refolds the map and places it back into his jacket. He pulls up his face shield as Rome speaks.
“What do you propose we do? Watch you have all the fun?” he asks.
The rest of the MC, including myself, pull their face shields up and over our mouths and noses. We adjust them until the dark fabric covers us from just below our eyes all the way to our throats. The bare skull's mouth, full of wickedly sharp teeth, seems to jump off the black material as we all raise our hoods into place. Soon, we are no longer seven different men; we become a unified group to be reckoned with.
Owen’s light green eyes shimmer with detestation as he steps up into my brother's space. Both men stand firmly as if the first to back down would be crowned the loser. I have to hand it to Rome; he holds his hardened gaze well when facing a titan like Owen.
“I really don’t give a rat's fat, furry arse what you and your little friends do. Just make sure to stay the fuck out of our way,” he bites. Seeing my brother's blank stare, we turn and start walking toward the abandoned building.
SIXTEEN
DECLAN
The sounds of heavy boots treading through the tall, dry grass are nothing more than whispers on a breeze as the seven of us trudge almost silently toward the run-down building. All of us are united in the way we scope out the area for any signs of life. An eerie sense of calm descends on the area, raising all my hackles. Dusk has settled, fully engulfing us in the dim lighting that comes with the impending night. Even the sounds of the awakening nocturnal nature seem to stand still with each sure step we take closer to the deserted hotel.
Nothing good has happened in this place.
Though my focus is solely on the decrepit building in front of us, I can still sense all of my brothers around me, as if we share a unified bond that enables us to know exactly where the others are.
Romeo and his four men try to mimic our silent approach, but they seem to be falling short. The black cloth of my face mask hides my smirk at his attempt at a stealth mission. The mafia may be good at a lot of things; torturing, maiming, and killing being among those skills. But sneaking up on the enemy will never be on that list of successions.
Once we’re close enough to the building to read the colorful graffiti marring the side of it, Owen emits a short whistle from between his teeth. The sound mimicking that of a Northern Cardinal serves as our signal to split apart. Ace and Coop veer east, while Li and I break off toward the west emergency exit. Owen, Tanner, and Hayden will continue before breaking apart and heading to their predetermined point of entry. From this point onward, we will have to rely on our earpieces for all communication.
I school my racing thoughts as Li and I approach our door and wait for our next signal. Hearing movement behind us as we come to a halt, I turn to see Romeo and Dom stepping closer to us. The calm indifference we were taught to show as children cover their faces the moment they step onto the cracked concrete leading to the heavy metal door.
