Page 43 of Blood & Lace
"They can handle it. I want to stay with you."
Onyx pinched the bridge of his nose as an exaggerated sigh left him. Maybe he felt the same way. He didn't want me to go either.
"Lucero—" He dropped his hand to stare at me. "How about if you go handle your work, tonight we can go over who has a vendetta against you together."
"I'll cook." I perked up instantly at the thought of dinner plans with my husband. "That list is long so it will probably lead over into the next night."
Onyx squinted at me. "Sure, why not, but you have to go to work or do something out of the house."
"I can do that." I snatched up my phone as it rang again. Nash's name flashed over the screen, and I stuffed it into my pocket. I reached for Onyx and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll miss you."
My husband stared at me as if I was a lunatic, but I was used to it by now. He'd learn that he was the only one I was remotely crazy for.
"Love you, have a good day. See you tonight," I said as I headed for the door. As much as I didn't want to go, I knew the faster I finished the sooner I could get back to him.
***
I pulled up to Heaven's Gate, a strip club Nash and Damian had started a few months back. Business was good, nothing to write home about, but according to Damian, another decent source of money. What really brought in the big bucks was the illegal gambling nights we ran in them. But nothing was better than the income we got from Elia’s fight ring. I mainly helped him out but Nash called me over on some nights, especially when it was time to handle things.
Each of my siblings still in the family had their own jobs within the organization. Mine was to float around. I thought it would be fine that I took so much time off. I knew my family needed me. They made that very clear, but it wasn’t as if I was specifically in charge of anything. I just happened to be a part of the head of the family. With the new transition of power and increase of eyes on my family, there was a lot more trouble to look out for.
A resounding knock echoed through the truck before I could put it in park. Nash and Damian stood right outside my car. One looked pissed off and the other annoyed. Both could eat a bum’s ass. I had husband duties to take care of and they came before the family.
"You're late," Nash pointed out.
I slipped from behind the wheel, forcing both of them to take a step back. Damian was older but I was far bigger than he was. Nash was the same age as Damian, but even he was nearly a foot shorter than me.
"My husband was upset with me."
"Oh, I wonder why. Think it had to do with him being forced down the aisle at gunpoint?" Nash asked.
"I never aimed a gun at him. I love him too much for that, and no, it wasn't that."
Damian punched Nash. "Don't start with him."
Nash lifted his hands in surrender. I know he meant well, all my brothers did. They worried about the stupidest shit. If Onyx did end up hurting me, then so be it, but I wasn't going to give up on my chance to have him. No matter how short it was.
"Fine, my bad. I haven't been sleeping because I've been covering someone's job and my own." Nash looked at me like I was supposed to guess.
"Who?" I asked.
Both of them stopped walking to stare at me.
"Bet it's Prince, or is it Emir?" My head tilted as I thought about Emir's twin. "Elia?" That didn't feel right. My younger brother enjoyed fighting way too much to miss out on the job. He was in the ring any chance he got, taking on whoever dared to step up. I mostly helped him out because if we left the fights to him, we’d never make any money. But out of all my brothers, he was the only one who hadn’t called me lately.
Damian grabbed Nash before he could lunge himself at me. "Not worth it, he won't get it."
"One good punch, it might knock some brain cells loose."
Damian snorted. "You're bound to get your ass beat. You know that fool doesn’t know his own strength."
I ignored my brothers, walking past them into the building. The lights were set low with neon stripes lining the floor and corners. They were all set to red, bathing the entire place in a sexual hue. During the day, a few dancers moved about the place, entertaining the guests who sought out company during the daylight hours. Most of them were men with a few women here and there.
“Hey, big fella,” one of the girls called. She was wearing nothing more than a pink lingerie set and heels that my husband could easily run in.
I wonder how good Onyx would look when bathed in red light. All his pale skin exposed, wearing one of his lingerie sets.
My cock was hard as my pulse raced.
