“And where will you be staying when you’re not here?”
“I’ve arranged for a hotel not two minutes from the club. I can be here quickly if there’s an emergency, but as Duncan said, we’re not expecting any type of incident.” Omar folded his hands on his lap while he sat back. “This is almost like a vacation for me, to be honest.”
Trixie quirked a brow. “Do you get many? Vacations that is?”
Omar shook his head. “No, ma’am. Career military. When a position within R.O.O.T. opened up, I took it. Asher’s black ops group is legendary. This is my first assignment.”
“Can I make a suggestion, then?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“When you’re done here, take a vacation. Enjoy yourself. Find the girl of your dreams or two.” She grinned. “Always working will burn you out quicker than wind blowing at a lit candle. If you’d like, after this is through, you may explore my club as well. You might find a part of yourself that you never knew existed.”
Again, Omar blushed. “Thank you, ma’am. I appreciate the offer.”
“And you.” She turned her attention to Duncan. “Go let off some steam. You look like you’re about to crack.”
“Are you meddling again, Mistress?” Duncan cocked a brow. “You know how I feel about meddling.”
She brushed him off. “I’m saying it because I know you too well, Duncan Frazier. You’ll start making mistakes if you don’t have your head on right. Omar is here. Let him watch over Enzo and Bella while you take an hour or two.”
He wished he could. His mind was willing. His heart rate sped up as anticipation curled through his veins. Unfortunately, his dick stayed soft and gave no indications it was up to getting busy with any of his usual subs. No, for the time being, he was out of commission. The only two people he wanted with a single-minded desperation were upstairs in his apartment. “I’ll take it under advisement. For now, I’m going to grab a shower and get some sleep.”
Omar grunted. “That’s my cue to leave.”
Duncan handed him the keys to his vehicle. “We’ll have to figure something else out tomorrow. Take my car to the hotel.”
“I’ll get Asher to send someone to pick up my truck at your apartment in the morning then bring your car back.” Omar stood. “Ma’am, it was nice to meet you.”
“Pleasure’s all mine, Omar,” Trixie said, shaking his hand. “Paul should be out front. He’ll explain how to get to the garage from here.”
“Thank you.”
Once Omar left, Trixie glared at Duncan. “You’re exhausted, but not from lack of sleep. Tell me why you’re really not willing to play.”
Duncan rolled his eyes. “If only it were that easy to explain.”
She chuckled. “Oh, honey, it is. But I believe I understand now. You have the hots for the siblings and don’t want to cross lines.” Trixie sighed and shook her head. “I believe before this is over, you’re going to have a decision to make, and it’s not one I envy.”
Neither did he.
Bella satat the small kitchen table, staring blindly at the empty surface. It would have been easier to stay in bed. Enzo wouldn’t allow it, though. He’d forced her from the bedroom and put her in the shower himself. It was only then, with the flow of the hot water washing over her skin, did she get a reprieve from her grief.
Her mami had been her everything.
Granted, they hadn’t always gotten along. Mostly because Bella had been a wild child and did some crazy shit before Enzo helped get her head on straight. Surprisingly, her mother hadn’t even blinked when she’d informed her she was joining up the gang, following in Enzo’s footsteps. It might have had something to do with their way of life, or that her father, before his death, had been a lifelong member. Their gang had connections to criminal organizations, but nothing substantial until they were in their twenties. When Enzo started running for the cartel, he’d brought her along with him.
They’d done well. So much so it got them noticed, and with the money she made, Bella went back to school to get a degree in home healthcare. It was then Raul took notice, moving them to Mexico to help out at the Emporium. Once there, her eyes had finally opened to how truly sick and evil both the gang and the cartel were.
She was sick and tired of the life. She hoped Enzo felt the same way. It was a conversation they’d been meaning to have. However, shit went downhill quick within the organization, and there they were, in Virginia.
It was why when Duncan placed the offer in front of them, she’d been the driving force behind taking it and becoming snitches. Of course, she hadn’t made it easy for the FBI agent. It’d been why she sent Enzo to talk with Duncan the first day. Enzo liked to keep the peace where he could and pulled off the whole ‘I’m protecting my sister’ vibe.
Guilt lay heavily on her shoulders. Their decision to go with Duncan more than likely led to their parents being killed instead of them. If they’d stayed, maybe their parents would still be alive. She snorted to herself. No, she wasn’t so naive to believe as much. Raul had been a bastard who leveraged lives to get what he wanted. Their parents were as good as dead when Duncan took them away.
Bella needed to pull her head out of her ass and stop being a bitch. She was better than that and always had been. She was tough and had handled herself in worse situations. She held her head high and met challenges head on. She needed to remember who she was and never forget it. When she joined the gang, she could either fuck her way through the members or get jumped in. She chose being jumped in to prove her worth.
The guys, they hadn’t been easy on her. During and after the beating, she thought she was going to fucking die. She hadn’t. She healed, slowly but surely, and her choice gained her mad respect from her new crew. Bullet, the leader at the time, had given her the nickname Hearts, because she had the ‘heart’ of a warrior.