Motown Breakdown (Motown Down #4) (5 page)

“Hello Marco,” I offer sitting at the table.

“Shade tells me you had a problem with one of my men?” His guy not Shade’s, God, the dick measuring contest continues…

“I did, but luckily he’s no longer a problem.”

“You executed him for marking you,” he booms over the phone for all his men to hear. “There’s hope for you yet.” Only he would think my shooting someone in the head was something to be proud of. Only he would take issue with another man marking me, robbing him of the right to do it. Shade, no doubt, told him I had done it because if he had told Marco the truth, I’d have been dragged home by now. I had to hand it to my fiancé, he was a top notch bullshitter. He had to have made it one hell of a story to make Marco believe I killed anyone. Bugs scare me but I won’t even step on one, I’m a total pussy and denying it is pointless.

“I can’t be late for work.” Marco was all work no play and if he respected anything it was a strong work ethic. Except when it came to me because it was my job to be kept, not contribute. “Did you need something?”

“Right,” he snaps and later I would pay for this misstep. “I forgot my only daughter works at a fucking bar. You are a moon, Luna, men work for you not you for them. I need you home, to take your place within the family. This war won’t touch me; it won’t touch you. Shade isn’t your husband yet which means I still…”

“Gotta go,” I tell him before hitting end on the call. Shutting my phone down, I drop it in my bag and head for my car. Once inside, I take a deep breath before starting it up. Letting it idle because it was old and rusty, I reminded myself to get used to it. When this war was over and I went back through those doors, my life would be in the hands of my husband. My free will would disappear but I would have luxury at every turn and spurn all of it. I would be forced to participate in a business that made me sick. Fuck, I’ve been away for almost a year and I still had nightmares about it. Watching girls younger than me scream for their daddies, while sitting next to Marco, forced to watch men bid on them like cattle. Virgins, of course, were most desirable always fetching the highest price… No. Not now, I couldn’t---

Pushing my door open, I vomit my banana all over the gravel. Thinking about my future made me puke. How’s that for incentive to live life to the fullest? Only I haven’t because my ass felt like it had a camera in it. I was no freer now than before I left. I knew deep, freedom would never truly belong to me and I was afraid to even try. Because if I went after it, got a taste of it, I’d know what I was missing. When the morning’s coffee made an appearance, I knew my stomach like my soul were both officially
empty
.

Reaching in my bag, I fill my mouth with Scope, gargle and spit.

Work.

I just needed to get to work.

Putting it in gear, I wondered if any of those girls I witnessed screaming for help was Crews’ Evie and almost vomited again. Forcing myself to think of other things, I park in the back and use my key to enter the side door. I didn’t mind the place smelled like it had never been cleaned. The fact was of all the places in the world, I felt safe, this dive bar was one of them. Okay that’s not entirely true, I felt safe with Crews.

Crews loves Evie.

Was she pretty and kind? Probably. He wouldn’t do all this for a cunty person, I knew that down deep too.

Taking my place behind the bar, I lose myself to stocking the coolers and cutting up the fruit no one will ever eat. The crowd liked beer, whisky and loud music. But the owner thought the fruit looked cool so I cut it as requested. When I applied here, they hired me without much fuss. It was a good choice because had it been any other bar, Marco would have had his men here watching me. Even he was smart enough to know his men wouldn’t make it out of here on two legs and to date I’ve never seen one. Still, I thought about what was to come. Shade had a back-up plan for me, he just hadn’t clued me in on what it was yet. Serving as a distraction isn’t easy when the end result is an ass kicking. But I had to play my part and this was the only way I could contribute. Marco’s nest was men only and it was made clear when I was young that they did not know me nor I them. This was for a variety of reasons but mainly so none would be attached to me. If they weren’t attached they wouldn’t care. But you don’t spend years in the same proximity with a tiny woman who gets beaten on a daily basis and not want the person giving the beating to pay. Even if that person is your boss. So I push Marco to lash out on me in front of others as often as possible. Most have gone to Shade to do something and he assures them Marco’s time is coming, which means, it’s working.

Crews loves Evie.

If I could help him now I would, but until I was back home I had no leverage. I’ve never loved anyone before. Hell, I’ve never even liked anyone enough to offer up some cash, let alone my life for them. He was willing to die for his Evie and my future was bleak regardless so I had nothing to lose. God knows I wasn’t raised with good and I wanted to be able to say I wasn’t always what I’ve become. That once there was a time when I was
more
. That I stood for something more than a beating.

A couple hours passed before the place started to fill up. The crowd was rowdy as always, the music was blaring and I enjoyed the simplicity of it. The bar, being my first and likely only job, I made a point to bust my ass. So sticking a napkin down, I asked my next guy, “What’ll it be?”

“You surprise me, mama,” he says over the music.

“I surprise myself sometimes,” was all I could come up with. Why was he even here? Why was my heart racing? Why did I like his gruffy beard and unwashed hair? It made no sense, I usually applauded good hygiene. Oh I know why, because he was a simple guy and I suddenly acquired an affinity for simple.

“How’s your stomach?”

Shit, he saw that too. Okay, so maybe he wasn’t simple. “Old banana, lesson learned. Do you want something?”

“Gimme a beer,” he says never taking his eyes from me.

“Bottle or draft?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

Okay then draft it is. “How’d you get in here?”

“I work with some of the guys, asked to be let in and here I am.”

I’d look into why that made me happy later, but first I had bruisers that needed their booze and a man named Crews’ presence I had to pretend to ignore. Yeah, I liked the simplicity of it. I liked the simplicity of
him
.

I was good and drunk by the time she closed the bar.

Outside of making sure my glass was full she didn’t talk to me. It bothered me that she stayed away. Yeah, she’d look over my way from time to time but it wasn’t enough. I wanted to show her outside of our circumstances and our apartment building, I was worth spending time with. It didn’t matter that Luna was literally half my age, a fucking kid to a guy who turns forty-two in a few months.

If I was still alive in a few months.

Evie was twenty-two and it showed in everything she did. Luna didn’t act twenty-two, not even close and that went a long way in helping me feel less disgusting about the thoughts running through my head. Following her home, I let her go in ahead of me and was pissed when she closed her door without saying shit. My ass was still numb from sitting in that dump and for my effort I was given the cold shoulder. She agreed to help me but I wanted more answers, those answers were on the other side of the wall. Banging on her door, she whips it open at the same time I let out a loud burp.

“And women aren’t beating your door down,” she says fanning the smell away. “Shocker.”

Letting myself in, I close the door and lock it. “Have you ever seen it?” Yeah, I was drunk but she knew what I meant. It’s the one fucking thing we had in common.

“Yes,” she says sitting on the couch. “I’ve seen it.”

“What’s it like?”

“Very organized, believe it or not. Invite only, kind of a mixer prior to where they gather to talk business before bidding. They meet in a large room that looks like something out of the orient. Totally over the top and ridiculous if you ask me. After being dressed, groomed, and sometimes drugged, the girls are brought out individually. From there the auction begins. The whole thing takes about two hours.”

“Why are you leaving shit out?”

“You saw me throwing up, right?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s why,” she says tightening her robe. “I had to sit there and watch, Crews. And when I think about it, I vomit. That’s why I left shit out. You don’t want the details, trust me.”

“When you marry Shade, that’s what’s waiting for you?”

“Pretty much, unless he changes the rules,” she shrugs. “Now do you see why I want to enjoy my freedom while I have it?”

“Why’d you ignore me all night?”

“Booze makes you chatty,” she smiles tightly. “I don’t want to form any sort of attachment to you. It’s better for both of us.”

“Why?” for some reason it was my favorite word tonight.

“Dammit, Crews, the less we know about each other the better, alright?” Moving next to her, I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and ask her again, “Why?”

“Why? Because…” she tries but can’t finish because she’s staring at my mouth. “This isn’t…”

“Why, mama?” I ask pulling her on to my lap and like it when she doesn’t resist.

“Are you going to kiss me?” she whispers.

“Thinking about it,” I was more than thinking about it. In my head, I already finished with her mouth and had my face between her thighs.

She leaned in first touching her mouth to mine. Fuck, her lips softer than I expected them to be. When she moved forward pushing her tits on my chest, my head fell back and she followed never breaking the seal. Sliding her tongue in, I took it willingly, sucked on it. Her hands were on either side of my neck when she started grinding on me. She was a needy little thing who took what she wanted and I wasn’t going to stop her. Anchoring her hips to help her out, she moans into my mouth before biting my bottom lip. Just as I was gearing up to take it further, she pulls away from me and she did not look sated, she looked sad.

“I shouldn’t have done that,” she says climbing off and adjusting her robe. “I’m sorry.”

“Did it look like I was complaining?”

“You need to go – ”

Pulling her back to me, I move down giving her room. Once she’s settled, I mold myself behind her. “Sleep,” I tell her pulling a blanket over us both. “I’ve got you.”

With her hair in my face, my cock nestled flush with her ass, she accepted my arm holding her in and did as she was told. Shortly thereafter, I followed suit but hours later when I woke up she was gone. Jolting up, my head started to pound and next to the couch were two aspirin and a glass of water, but no Luna.

“We need to talk,” she says from across the room. She was still in her robe but had a blanket wrapped around her. Popping the pills, I finish the water leaving the glass where I found it.

“So talk,” I prompt her.

“First, there won’t be a repeat of last night.”

“You kissed
me
, mama.”

“I’m not referring to that; I’m talking about you coming to my work. Stay away from the bar and stay out of my apartment. You have your own house; I suggest you stay there from now on.”

“Why?” Seriously, why stop now?

“At any time Shade could show up, any number of his men or even Marco could do the same. I agreed to help you but I did not agree to spend time with you. I have things I want to do. Having you following me around isn’t helping me accomplish anything. From now on, you don’t know me.”

After the way she kissed
me
last night, practically dry humping
my
cock, I did not care for her tone. Tossing the blanket off, I head over to the window to stand in front of her. “You regret it? Kissing my ugly face?”

Never breaking eye contact she stands up pushing those tits into my chest before saying, “Yeah, Crews, I do.”

“At any time, I could let Shade know his fiancé was all about riding my cock. Hell, I could even tell his men or your old man. You agreed to help me, you best make sure that’s what you plan to do. Your freedom means dick to me. I’ll toss you over for Evie, don’t think for a fucking second I won’t. I’ll forget I know you,” I growl leaning in. “But you won’t forget you fucking know
me
.”