CROW (Boston Underworld Book 1) (21 page)

“Boss wants you to wait in the back,” he says.

Of course he does. I’m too defeated to argue, so I walk back to the dressing rooms, hoping I can at least see Sasha. I find her a few minutes later, but she doesn’t look happy to see me either. Go figure.

“What did you do?” she snaps.

“What do you mean?”

She grabs me by the arm and drags me down the hall, away from the prying eyes of the other girls.

“I mean you promised you weren’t going to say anything about Donny.” Her lip quivers and her eyes fill with tears.

“Sash, I didn’t say anything to Lachlan…” I try to explain myself.

She crosses her arms and shakes her head. “No, even worse. You told Ronan. Jesus, he beat the living daylights out of Donny, and now things are just going to get worse for me.”

“Ronan will watch out for you,” I tell her. “Donovan shouldn’t be hassling you out like he is, Sash. And you shouldn’t have to take it either.”

“He’s a sick fucking freak, Mack! You really think this is gonna’ stop him? It’s only going to make him more determined. And now Ronan thinks…”

She sniffles and looks away, wiping her thumbs beneath her eyes.

“He thinks what?” I ask her gently.

“He thinks I’m a goddamn whore, and he’s not going to want anything to do with me.”

The hurt in her voice breaks what little respect I had left for myself.

“I’m sorry,” I tell her. “I thought I was helping.”

“Yeah, well you aren’t,” she scolds. “You don’t understand how things work in this world. You’ve been here five minutes. It’s not your place to fix things.”

I glance down at my shoes and nod. “I’m really sorry. I’ll stay out of your business from now on.”

I turn to go, but Sasha reaches out and grabs me, pulling me in for a dreaded hug. I stiffen, as usual, but I let her hug me anyway.

“You need to be careful, Mack,” she says. “Just because you’re under Lachlan’s protection doesn’t mean anything. Things still have a way of happening. Especially when Donny’s involved.”

“What do you mean?” I pull away so I can look her in the eyes.

She glances back at the door and bites her lip. This could be important, and I know I have to get it out of her whatever it is.

“You can tell me, Sash,” I plead. “Anything. I just want to know what I’m getting myself into.”

“Look, all I’m saying is that there have been other girls who tried to stand up to Donny, and it didn’t end so well for them.”

“Like who?” I demand.

She gives her head a tiny shake, and the fear in her eyes is obvious. “I can’t say.”

“Was one of them Talia?” I blurt.

Her eyes widen, and she glances around again as she backs away. Shit. I’ve royally fucked up now, but it can’t be helped. I know she knows something, and I have to get it out of her, friend or not.

I grab her arm in a bruising grip and drag her even further down the hall.

“You have to tell me Sash.”

“I don’t know.” She shakes her head frantically. “I don’t know anything! I just want to work. That’s all. Let me go, Mack.”

I’ve got her cornered, and her whole body is trembling under the weight of my stare. I can only imagine what I must look like right now, so I do my best to take it down a notch.

“She was my best friend,” I whisper. “Please, Sash. I just need to know what happened to her.”

“Jesus.” Her face goes pale as she grips her hair and takes a deep breath. “That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?”

“No,” I say adamantly. “I met Lachlan at the fights. He offered me a job. But I know that Talia worked here before she went missing.”

This could very well get me killed, but I trust that Sasha isn’t going to open her mouth about this unless she absolutely has to. If for no other reason than she’s trying to keep her head down and not draw attention to herself. If I had to guess, I’d say the girl has some secrets of her own.

“Look, I don’t know, okay,” she says. “I swear. She was a really nice girl and all, but she only worked here for a couple of weeks. I don’t know what happened to her. One day she just stopped showing up for work. And then the police came and asked us a bunch of questions. I didn’t know anything then, and I still don’t.”

“You have to know something,” I push. “Just tell me who she was hanging out with. Which one of the guys? Just give me that much.”

“I have a sick mother to take care of!” she cries. “God, Mack, are you trying to get me killed?”

The weight of my guilt is crushing me. None of this is as easy as I thought it was going to be. I don’t want to scare Sasha or even get her involved. But I need to know. And I will do whatever I can to protect her if it comes down to it.

“None of this will come back to you. I promise.”

Sasha hesitates and then paces back and forth. Her hair is all tangled from her pulling on it, and her eyes look drawn and tired. I have to wonder what kind of man managed to suck such a sweet girl into a place like this and then left her to fend for himself. I don’t know him, but I hate him already.

Sasha comes to a halt, seemingly with her mind made up.

“There were a few guys who were interested,” she says quickly. “Donny, Sean, and some big Russian guy. I don’t know his name. He’s only been in here a few times and I didn’t pay attention. You shouldn’t either, Mack. You need to let this go before the same thing ends up happening to you.”

“I can’t.”

She shakes her head and lets out an agonized sigh.

“Well, then you’re going to die too.”

Without another word, she pushes past me, leaving me in peace to the swell of grief rising inside of my chest.

Chapter Twenty-One

Mackenzie

R
onan comes for me just after midnight, escorting me out to the curb where Lachlan is already waiting inside his car.

Neither one of them says a word to me as Ronan shoves me into the passenger seat with a scowl and then shuts the door behind me. I barely have time to buckle myself in before Lachlan zooms off into the night, his knuckles white on the steering wheel and his features hard.

I would apologize now, but somehow I don’t think that would help.

When we get back to his house, he drags me inside by the arm. Conor is still sitting in the chair, his expression changing from murderous to fear as his eyes swing between me and Lachlan.

“For chrissakes,” Lachlan barks. “Untie him. Now!”

I scurry over and do as he says, making quick work of his bonds. He cringes when I rip off the duct tape, and I feel like an asshole all over again.

“I’m really sorry,” I whisper.

He doesn’t grace me with a response. The moment he’s up and on his feet, Lachlan orders him to get out. And then it’s just the two of us. Him with his cold, hard gaze, and me… quaking in my stilettos.

“Come here.”

I walk to him with downcast eyes, silently pleading for him to go easy on me. I know what’s coming next. I know it in my bones. But this wasn’t how I wanted it to go.

Once I’m within arm’s length, he grabs me by the throat and slams me up against the wall, his eyes burning with rage.

“Do ye fancy a buck with Sean?” he asks. “Is that it?”

“No.” I shake my head furiously. “I don’t.”

“Maybe ye should go warm his bed, sweetheart. It’d save me the trouble of trying to lookout for ye. In fact, I’m sure all the lads would be happy to have a go.”

I blink back tears from his hateful words.

“You don’t mean that.”

“Aye,” he says. “I do. What good are ye to me? Ye’re a disobedient little bitch who doesn’t do as she’s told.”

“You like that about me,” I tell him.

His eyes flash, and the heat of his erection grows as he presses his body closer to mine.

“Is that so?” he asks. “Tell me, sweetheart, do ye think I also like my woman to be making eyes at other lads while she sits in their lap?”

Shame wells up inside of me and I can’t respond. This only pisses him off more.

“Ye just don’t fucking get it,” he bellows. “What I’ve put on the line for you. And this is how ye repay me?”

I flinch at the fury in his voice, and it only makes him squeeze my throat harder.

“I’m sorry,” I cry out.

“Don’t lie to me.”

“I am sorry,” I vow. “I don’t want Sean. I just thought…”

The words fail me. What can I say that will make him understand?

“I want ye to walk out that door,” he says. “Leave ye to fend for yourself. Ye’re just like the rest of them.”

“I’m not.” My eyes are wet, and I mean it. I don’t want him to think that about me.
“And I know you don’t want that. I’ll be good, I promise. I’m yours, Lachlan. I swear to you.”

“Mine?” he laughs cruelly as he reaches for the hem of my dress and rips it with his bare hands. “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure yet.”

My entire body is shaking with adrenaline and nerves. He’s so angry with me, and if I’m being honest with myself, I am too. But this isn’t how I want this to happen. I’m scared, for the first time in my life, I’m really fucking scared. And it’s because he could really hurt me. Not physically. But in the worst possible way. He could destroy me.

Lachlan has that power. And I need him to not hurt me. I need him to… I don’t know. Be nice to me. At least right now. Just during this vulnerable moment. That’s all.

“Lachlan, wait,” I plead.

He continues to tear at my dress, pulling pieces of fabric away as his eyes focus on the task at hand. His hands are all over me, rough and punishing, and he isn’t even hearing me right now. I need to make him hear. I reach up and clasp his face in my hands with a gentle touch, moving his gaze back to me.

“Lach,” I whisper. “Wait, please.”

“Please, what?” he clips out. “I’m done with your teasing, sweetheart. Ye’re either with me, or ye’re not. Fair warning that option number two isn’t going to bode too well for you.”

This is his rage still talking. I try not to let it get to me as my thumbs stroke over his jaw. “I know. But I don’t want our first time together to be like this. Just… let me take care of you.”

My words seem to affect him, which throws me a little. I didn’t think I’d be able to get through to him. He pauses, his eyes searching mine. His expression softens just a fraction as guilt flickers in his eyes. Knowing that I have him, I reach down and take his hands in mine, backing him up until his legs hit the sofa. He watches me as I retrieve my iPod from my purse and scroll through some music. I press play and then set it down on the coffee table, shimmying out of the ruined fabric of my dress to Burning Desire by Lana Del Ray. I want it to be slow and sweet. I want him to burn like I do.

“I only dance for you from now on,” I say softly. “Remember?”

Lachlan doesn’t take his eyes off me for a second, and it’s clear to me I’ve lost his trust. It guts me, even though it shouldn’t. Where I come from, trust is a big thing. Loyalty. My loyalty got me into this mess, and I wish I could just tell him that. But I can’t. Instead, I’m going to make it up to him. I’m going to offer myself up to him on a silver platter. Something I swore I would never do.

Once I’m down to nothing but a black lace bra and panties, I step between his legs and turn around. Swiveling my hips, I dance in time to the beat of the music and ease myself onto his lap, rubbing my bottom against his erection. Even through his jeans, I can feel how hard he is for me. He’s going to be inside of me soon. My first. It’s strange to me how okay I am with that. How much I want him to be the one.

After a few moments, he relaxes beneath me, his hands wandering over my body while I grind against him. He reaches around and palms my breasts through the lace at the same time he rocks his pelvis up into me. When I glance down at his hands on my body, I can see the strength in his muscular forearms. Everything about him is strong. Primitive. Male.
He makes me feel tiny. Fragile. These are things I never thought I’d like to feel, but I do.

He pulls me back against his chest and holds me there while one of his hands delves lower, into my panties. He finds the pool of moisture there and his groan vibrates against my back as he stuffs me with his fingers. I watch them move beneath the fabric, enrapt at the sight as I thrash against him. He’s being gentler than I thought, but it doesn’t last. When my head falls back against his shoulder and my eyes meets his, something inside of him snaps.

His free hand reaches up to clutch at my throat as his lips find my ear.

“Things are going to change from here on out,” he says. “This isn’t a fucking game, Mack.”

“I know.”

He grabs my jaw and squeezes it between his fingers as he pins me with his eyes. “Ye’re going to abide by whatever I tell you from now on. Isn’t that right, sweetheart?”

I can’t move my head, or even open my mouth, but it turns out it doesn’t matter. He uses his grip to move my head up and down in a nod of agreement as he answers.

“Yes, Lachlan.”

When he loosens his grip on my jaw, I echo him as he clearly wants. “Yes, Lachlan,” I tell him. “Whatever you say from now on. I’ll be good.”

He reaches down and slides his hand beneath my panties to cup my ass cheek, his touch tender while his eyes are still furious. It confuses me, and I’m shocked as hell when he smacks my ass so hard I yelp and nearly jump out of his lap. That’s definitely going to leave a mark.