Zero Tolerance, page 27
I’m about to go nuclear on Alex’s ass. “Stop calling him that.”
“Oh no, sis. He’s earned it. Why does your son’s father even know people like that?”
Inside, my heart’s racing, stomach churning. The same question batters my mind.
My instinct to protect Z wins out over my fear of my brother’s opinion. “Uh, I think the better question is, why does Dad owe mobsters money?”
“I notice you didn’t deny it was true.”
“I have no idea.”
He huffs and places his hands on his hips. Normally, I’d brace myself for a big brother speech, except I’m not in the mood so I cut him off before he even starts.
“Dad’s business isn’t my business. Remember, Alex? I’m lacking a penis, so I’m not good enough to run the business. So, if he got himself in trouble, that’s not my problem.”
“It is your problem if your biker boyfriend’s the one who bought the debt.”
I have no sensible comeback. “I don’t know anything about that.”
“Great. What other secrets is he hiding from you?”
I clamp my lips shut. While I defended Z to my brother, inside I’m furious and feeling foolish.
Why couldn’t Z tell me the truth? I wouldn’t have been angry. I’ve never asked for details about his club. Don’t plan to, either. It doesn’t take a genius to guess they’re into shady activities.
When it comes to me, my family, though, that I want to know about so that I don’t get blindsided like this.
He lied to me.
Forty-Two
Lilly
I’ve been stewing all afternoon.
As if he sensed the hurricane brewing up north, Z called around dinner time to tell me he was running late and to talk to Chance.
“Will Daddy read me a story?” Chance asks a few hours later.
I’ve kept him up later than I should have so he could see Z, even if it was for just a few sleepy minutes.
“I’m not sure, kiddo. I know he wants to see you and he was trying to get here on time. If not, you’ll see him tomorrow.”
Unless I kill him when he gets here.
Chance succumbs to sleep a few minutes later, leaving me even more annoyed.
Now I need to add ‘disappointing our son’ to the list of things I’m not thrilled with tonight.
The rumble of his bike coming down the driveway pulls me off the couch. I open the door and watch him park a fair amount away from the house. Something I know he did in an effort not to wake Chance.
It’s simple and sweet. The block of anger sitting in my chest melts a little.
His boots crunch over the gravel and I wait on the porch for him. My greedy gaze takes in every sexy inch. I’ve missed him so damn much.
“Sorry I’m so late,” Z says.
He looks exhausted and part of me wants to wait and have this conversation tomorrow. Except, Chance will be up and want to spend as much time as possible with Z.
“Damn, you look good.” He curls his hand over my hip and drags me closer. Leaning down, he brushes a soft kiss against my lips.
For a moment, I lean into him, inhaling the sharp spring air and leather scent of him. “Missed you,” I whisper.
“Missed you too, pretty girl.” He nudges me toward the house. “Come shower with me.”
No way.
If we do that, we’ll never talk tonight. I dig in my heels when he tries to push me inside the front door.
“No, we need to talk about something first.”
“What’s wrong?” He frowns. “Is Chance okay? I tried so hard to make it up here before he went to bed—”
“It’s not that.” I take a step back and stare up him. “I had lunch with my brother this afternoon.”
“That’s good. How is he?” When I don’t answer right away, he studies me more closely. He spreads his hands in front of him. “Why do you seem mad at me about it?”
“You tell me, Z. Is there anything you forgot to share with me recently?”
Z
There are lots of things I want to tell her.
I missed her. I love her. I want her and Chance to move down near me as soon as possible, so I don’t have a three-hour drive every time I want to read my son a bedtime story.
But somehow, I sense she’s not in the mood for any of that.
“Like what?” I ask carefully.
“What exactly are you doing downstate for the club?”
“I told you. Running the club for the president who’s in the hospital.”
“Running it how? What kinds of things are you doing for him?”
I narrow my eyes at her. I thought Lilly was smarter than this. “You know I can’t talk about club business with you.”
“I think when it involves me, you should.”
My body stills and I smooth my face into an expressionless mask. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t lie to me, Z.”
“What am I supposedly lying about?”
“Dammit, Z. Are you really going to pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about? Or are you lying to me about more than one thing?”
Now she’s just pissing me off. “Do you really think you’re in a position to lecture me about lying?” I ask with deadly calm.
Hurt and shock widen her eyes and she steps back. “Are you planning to throw that in my face forever?”
“Are you planning to grill me and accuse me of I don’t even know what every time I come home?”
“Come home from what?” she asks a couple octaves higher than her last question.
“What do you think I’m down there doing? Fucking around? I haven’t even—”
“That’s not what I’m talking about.”
I must be fucking tired because it finally occurs to me what might have happened. Jesus Christ, she gave me the first clue when she said she saw her brother today.
Somehow, she knows about my visit with her father. And I’m guessing whatever version of the story she heard doesn’t paint a nice picture of me.
“Your father told you we had a chat?”
“No, my brother did.”
Lilly’s father is a bigger coward than I thought.
“What’d he do, cry to Alex that I paid off his debt so the big, bad mobster didn’t break his kneecaps?” What an ungrateful dick. I should’ve let DeLova handle him.
She winces at the kneecaps part and then shakes her head. “You paid it?”
“Tell me what Alex said and I’ll tell you what the truth actually is. Since it doesn’t sound like he got the whole picture.”
“Dad owed some not-so-nice people money and you came to collect it. Is that what your MC does?”
“Not usually. Your prick father’s damn lucky I’m the one who saw his name and took the job, or it would’ve been a much different outcome for him. Especially since he didn’t have the money.”
A flash of understanding lights up her eyes. “You really paid off a debt for him? Why?”
“Why do you think?”
“I don’t know, since he was such an asshole to you.”
I run my fingers through my hair, trying to come up with an answer that makes sense. “He’s your father. Chance’s grandfather. These guys don’t play, Lilly. I didn’t want to see him get hurt, knowing I could prevent it.”
The reality of her father’s situation sets in and she wraps her arms around her middle. “Oh my God. What has he gotten himself into?”
“I didn’t ask for his whole story, Lilly. I told him I’d take care of the debt and to sort his shit out.”
“And?”
“And nothing. I’ve been too busy to check up on him. He won’t be taking any more loans out from anyone I know, though.”
“Z, doesn’t that…I don’t know, cause problems for you?”
A minute ago, she thought I betrayed her and now she’s worried about me?
“Isn’t it some sort of conflict of interest?”
She’s serious. I can’t help laughing so hard, she ends up smacking my arm. “I’m serious.”
“Conflict of interest? That’s a citizen concept. The debt’s been paid. That’s all anyone cares about.”
“Is it gambling? His mistress? What’s he involved with?”
“That, I don’t know. He said business hasn’t been good and he’s got a lot of expenses as he and your mother get older.”
“Damn.” She clenches her jaw and looks away. “I’ve been wondering how the store is still afloat. When I was a kid, people came from all over to get the one of a kind pieces he had. It was the place all the people went to when they wanted to decorate their summer lake houses, you know? Now, it seems like an old relic. I offered to help him figure out how to transition to something else. But he’s never wanted my ideas or help.”
“That’s his problem. Not yours. I won’t bail him out again. I think he understood it was a one-time thing.”
“I’ll pay you back.”
“No, you won’t.”
She bites her lip. “How much are we talking about?”
“None of your business.”
“Z—”
“Lilly.”
We stare at each other. Both of us too stubborn to back down.
Unfortunately for Lilly, I’m tired and I’m stronger.
“We good here?”
“Yes. I’m sorry. I didn’t—”
I charge her like a damn bull, cutting her off. Dropping my shoulder, I flip her over it, and smack her ass.
“Z, dammit!” she squeals.
I pop her on the ass again. “Quiet. Don’t wake up Chance.”
“Put me down,” she protests as I move through the house.
“No.” I squeeze her ass. “Shh.”
Keeping a good grip on her legs, I carry her to Chance’s room and poke my head inside. The soft glow of the nightlight shows our lively discussion didn’t wake him. His music machine’s still playing, and I close the door behind us, leaving it open just a crack.
Lilly’s quiet while I carefully carry her into the bathroom and set her down.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
I peel my shirt off. She watches as I drop it on the floor. “I’m not doing your laundry.”
My laughter echoes in the bathroom. I slide open the glass door and flip the shower on, then return to her.
“Off.”
“What?”
“Get your clothes off.”
She cocks her head. “No.”
“I missed the hell out of you, woman. I finally get here and you’re pissy with me. For some reason, I still want to see you naked.”
“How bad?”
Enough of this. I reach out and yank her button-up flannel shirt up and over her head. She gets tangled in the sleeves, giving me the perfect opportunity to go to work on her pants.
“Z! Dammit!”
“You look hot all bound and helpless.”
“It’s not funny.”
I spin her around and unhook her bra but can’t get it off because the shirt’s still stuck. “You’re right. It’s stopping me from seeing your tits.”
Patiently, I unbutton the cuffs and help her strip the rest of her clothes off. She does this shy-girl, covering her tits with her arms thing that sets me off laughing.
“Siren, I’ve already seen them and they’re amazing.” I grip her hips and turn her to face the bathroom mirror that’s slowly fogging up from the running shower. “Put your hands on the sink.”
“Why?”
“Because I said so.” Damn this woman’s strong, beautiful, and as frustrating as fuck sometimes.
And I wouldn’t change a single thing about her.
Forty-Three
Lilly
Z’s relentless. In the shower, he pins me to the wall and slides his cock inside me in one swift, smooth move.
“Oh, fuck,” I groan and close my eyes, draping my arms over his shoulders. “You owe me a lot of orgasms.”
He laughs and leans down to kiss my neck. “More than happy to—”
The abrupt way he stops mid-sentence makes my eyes pop open.
He’s staring at the scars on the insides of both my arms.
Shit.
“What happened to you?”
“Nothing.”
I’d been so careful. I almost always wear long sleeves, or bracelets, or keep the lights low. Under the stark, bright bathroom lights, there’s nowhere to hide.
I drop my hands, digging into his biceps, so I don’t end up slipping. He slips his hands under my ass and plants his feet wider.
He’s still hot, hard, and throbbing inside me. I squeeze my inner muscles as hard as I can to get his attention.
“Fuck,” he groans. “Stop.”
“Stop what?” I ask innocently as I rotate my hips.
His hips jerk in response to my movements, so I keep going, leading him away from the questions he wants to ask.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
I am now.
“I’d be better if you’d keep fucking me, so I don’t have to do all the work.”
He growls and grips my ass harder, viciously thrusting inside me. “Like that?”
“Better.”
Now he’s focused. I slip against the shower wall, almost knocking us both to the floor. He lowers me, pulls out, spins me to face the wall, and thrusts back inside before I even know what’s happening.
“That’s good. Just like that, Z.” I moan and push back against him. “Harder.”
I’m so close. I just need a little more.
There it is.
Deep, pulsing waves of pleasure ripple through me and at the last minute, I clamp my mouth shut so I don’t scream.
Z’s totally lost and not as quiet. He groans so loud it echoes around us and he comes all over my back.
I glance at him over my shoulder.
He shrugs. “Forgot a condom. Again. Never happened before.”
I appreciate his subtle way of saying he’s safe.
I’d like to reassure him as well, except. “I’m not on the pill…or anything.”
His eyes widen.
He blinks.
“I should’ve mentioned—”
A slow smile spreads across his face and he pulls me under the water, gently washing me off.
“That works for me.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“I want more kids with you. So that works for me.”
Tingles race down my spine. Certainly the first time the idea of getting pregnant turned me on instead of terrifying me.
Even so. “My life’s a bit of a mess right now, Z. It feels like it’s in a million pieces.”
He cups my cheeks and presses a kiss to my lips. “Then give those pieces to me.”
Forty-Four
Lilly
“Daddy!” Chance runs to the front door as soon as it opens and smacks right into Z’s legs.
“Hey, buddy!” He leans over and picks Chance up, kissing his cheek. “Have you been good?”
“Yup!”
“I missed you.”
Chance wraps his little arms around Z’s neck and hugs him before asking to be let go.
“How was your jog?” I ask, running my gaze over his thick legs and sweaty torso.
“Felt good. I’ve been slacking these last few weeks.”
I wiggle my eyebrows. “Looks good too.”
“Don’t start, woman.”
He follows me into the kitchen and glances around. “You think about what you want to pack and bring down with you?”
“Yup.”
He waves his hand in the air. “Don’t worry about buying any household shit. We’ll find a furnished place and you can buy whatever you need down there.”
I laugh softly. “I can’t believe I’m going to rent this place out again.” I set that in motion this morning by calling the agent who handled it for me before.
“Hey.” He moves in closer and brushes my hair out of my face. “I really appreciate you moving down there. I’ve missed the hell out of you two and having you closer will make things so much better.”
After everything, I think it’s the least I can do for him. And really, what’s keeping me here anyway? Pride because I bought this house on my own without anyone’s help? That’s nice, but love—something I didn’t think was real until Chance—is more important.
Love for Z and our son and the desire to keep our family together far outweighs my youthful pride. If this will make Z’s life easier, then I want to do it for him.
He moves in closer, placing his hands on my hips and pushing me against the counter. “I’ll take good care of both of you.”
“I know you will.”
“Real good,” he says in an even lower voice, gently thrusting his hips forward.
“Mmm.”
The doorbell rings and someone knocks on the front door. Both of us frown at the intrusion.
“I don’t get a lot of visitors.”
He follows me to the door, standing behind me as I open it.
“Illena Volkov?”
Acid churns in my stomach. I already know what’s coming.
Z pushes me aside and the guy jumps backwards, dropping the folded documents in his hand. “Who the fuck are you?” Z growls.
“Are you—?”
“Get the fuck out of here,” Z snaps.
The guy runs, shouting, “You’ve been served,” over his shoulder.
I’m shaking so bad, I can’t focus when Z picks up the papers and hands them to me.
He gives me a half-smile. “Why didn’t I know your full name is Illena?”
“I never use it,” I whisper.
“Lilly,” he says more seriously. “What’s wrong? What is this? Whatever it is, I’ll help you. It’s okay.”
I unfold the papers and quickly scan the first one.
US District Court
for the
Northern District of New York
You are hereby commanded…
“Goddammit!” I slap the papers on the counter. “How do they even know I’m back?”
“Lilly, talk to me.”
“I need to call Mara and see if she can get me out of this.” I reach for my phone, but Z grabs it, holding it out of reach.
