Page 36 of Arm Candy Warrior

“I’ve got the rear,” Brawler says, coming up behind me. My back pricks at being so close to him, but I shoot him a look over my shoulder, anyway. He’s wearing a smile that ghosts over his face. He’s got the rear, alright. I only wish we could do something about it.

“Alright, let’s head out,” Mag says. His gaze darts around the area until he opens the back door of the car for us.

I slide in, Brawler folding his larger body in after me. As soon as he’s inside, he checks the partition. Noticing it’s up, he cups my cheek. “Are you okay?”

“Just couldn’t keep my head in it,” I say, embarrassed all over again. I acted like a newbie in there, for fuck’s sake.

Brawler pulls me onto his lap in one swift move. My heart lodges in my throat. His hands sneak under my t-shirt, settling on my sweat-dampened torso. He leans forward, licking a drop that’s running down my neck. “There’s something about you all sweaty and half-naked.”

I could say the same thing for him. He’s one of the reasons I was distracted tonight. I only wish he’d taken his form-fitting tank off, so I could ogle what he has going on under there. “Maybe I should have signed my sweat towel for you.”

“You’ve already left more of an imprint on me than that.” He nudges his hips higher, and his growing desire lengthens. His head drops to my shoulder as he releases a long breath. “We need alone time together soon. More than just ten minutes in the car with a guard a couple of feet away from us.”

I hear him loud and clear. Actually, I feel him long and hard. “You don’t think I can get you off in ten minutes?” I quirk an eyebrow at him and start to slip backward over his knees, so I can drop down in front of him. Thankfully, my shin isn’t hurting anymore, or I’d never be able to do this.

He takes my chin in his hands, forcing me to look at him. “I’m willing to fall for the bad guy’s girlfriend. I’m willing to help her take someone out. I don’t need you on your knees in front of me, racing the clock. I need you in my bed, wrapped up in my sheets, being as loud as you want to be.”

My breath leaves me. The scene he described sounds divine. “You’re just making me want to suck you off even more.”

He urges me forward, pressing his lips to mine. Already, the car is slowing. Brawler intensifies the kiss for a brief moment before pulling away. Sure, it’s evident Magnum knows what’s going on between Brawler, Oscar, and me, but I don’t need to throw it in his face either. I slip off his lap and scoot over until there’s a foot between us.

“See you tomorrow,” Brawler promises.

He pushes the car door open, but Magnum lowers the divider between the front and the back. “Johnny says you can check your apartment to see if there’s anything you want to bring back.” I know his guys have already salvaged what they could, but I’m not letting this opportunity pass me up. “You’ll watch her, right?” Magnum asks, eyeing Brawler with an intensity that says there’s a double meaning in his words. Johnny probably told him to escort me up there, but he’s giving us this time. Alone. “Don’t be too long.”

I want to smile, but instead, I nod at Magnum and then get out of the car after Brawler. It feels like forever since I’ve been in front of this apartment building. Though I hadn’t stayed here long, the memories I have are fond. Of Brawler mostly.

As we walk into the building, I want to take his hand. I want to wrap my fingers around his like we would if we were any two people other than who we are. Instead, I walk side-by-side with him and then single file as we march up the stairs to our floor. As soon as we turn the corner, I pick my door out. Here, I was free, even if living a lie held me back. Freedom lay in not having to pretend for my aunt and uncle. It was not having a foot in this life and a foot in theirs. Now, I’m back to being restrained again, but in a whole different way. So, yeah, this stupid, shitty apartment means a lot to me.

The apartment was busted into, so it has a new lock on it. We have to call the super to come and open it for us. I stop as soon as he swings the door open. The new furniture is slashed to shit. The cutlery in the kitchen is all over the floor. Cupboard doors are hanging awkwardly on their hinges. A rank smell wafts from the refrigerator like it was left open for a long period of time even though the door is shut now.

“We think a member of Fonz’s crew came here and trashed it. Then, our lovely neighbors probably scoured the place as soon as they saw it was broken into.”

“It’s a shame Fonz’s Crew ruined the furniture. I’m sure someone here could have used that.”

“They took the TV though.”

I laugh. “Well, good. At least someone got something.”

Though I’m joking, a weight settles in my stomach. This was a complete and total invasion of privacy. At least Brawler was able to get the picture and the phone. I head toward the bedroom. It’s more of the same. The bed is stripped bare, like someone desperately needed a new sheet set. My bedside tables are knocked over, the drawers broken on the floor. My super-secret hideaway shelf is lying on the floor just under where I had it hung.

Brawler kneels next to it. “The hinge was open just barely, but there were sheets and clothes over it when I got here. Someone had a field day ripping everything apart. They didn’t even notice what they had.”

I run my hands through my hair and then get on the floor, peering underneath the bed and picking other trash up from the floor, searching for the gun I had in there.

“Was there something else?”

“A gun.”

Brawler heaves a sigh. “I didn’t see a gun.”

We both tear the place apart a third time, looking for the gun I had stashed, the one I’d planned on using to take out Big Daddy K. “Fuck,” I groan in frustration.

“It’s gone,” Brawler says, standing to his feet. “There’s no way of knowing who got it, but I don’t think it was Fonz’s men. It must have been the vultures afterward.”

At least there’s that. “I’ll have to get another one.” I stare at the bed. They’d told me the place was trashed, so I don’t know why I thought I’d get up here and Brawler and I could have a moment to ourselves without the real world pressing down on us.

“You’ll never get it through security at the tower.”

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