Nero (Made Men #1) (21 page)

Chapter
Twenty-Nine

The Five Stages
of Heartbreak

Elle picked her head up from the table as she felt something being set on top of the wood.

“What is this?” Elle looked at the tray being set before her filled with chicken strips, mashed potatoes, and corn. She also saw Vincent set a tray in front of Chloe
, as well.

“Lunch.” Vincent then set down a water bottle in front of her.

Elle pushed the tray toward him. “Take it back.”

Vincent let out a breath and pulled a seat underneath him as he sat down
. “Listen, sweetheart, I know you don’t want to take it because of what happened with you and Ne
—
”

“This has nothing to do with that
. I don’t want it,” Elle retorted as she pushed the tray closer to him.

Vincent put his hand on the tray and pushed it back to her
. He looked straight at her as he spoke. “It has everything to do with that, but what you need to understand is I care about you, too. So, you’re going to fucking eat it and enjoy it. And I will be walking you both to class until you and Nero figure this shit out,” Vincent turned to look at Chloe, “because I’m sick of watching you walk behind Elle. Walk fucking beside her.”

Elle watched Chloe’s eyes grow big
. Elle attempted to protest, but Vincent was a little too crazy to tell no. She did like Vincent and could handle him being around her.
But there is nothing to work out between me and Nero.

When Vincent was satisfied
, he took Chloe’s old plate from the middle of the table and threw it in the trashcan closest to the lunch lady as he stared her down.

“Oh
, my God. I think he may need to be admitted,” Chloe whispered.

Elle’s eyes went back to Chloe
. “He is a psychopath, for sure, but he is the nicest one out of the three.”

“Sorry
, Elle, but he isn’t. Nero is.” Chloe stated it like it was a fact.

Elle opened her mouth
. “No, he isn’t!”

Chloe picked up a chicken strip
and took a bite. “He is, too. You’re just in the denial stage.”

Elle reluctantly picked up her own strip
, thinking it looked too tasty, and took a bite. “The denial stage?”

“Yeah
. The five stages of heartbreak.”

Elle rolled her eyes at her best friend
.
There’s no such thing.

She
and Chloe had a good lunch, regardless of what had happened. When it was time to head to class, Vincent came back over to walk them. One look at Vincent’s face and she let him; bringing Hannibal Lecter out wasn’t on her to-do list for the day.

Vincent walked beside Elle and Elle walked beside Chloe
. She had to admit it was pretty weird because Vincent had walked behind Chloe before while Nero used to walk beside her. She turned her head and saw Nero and Amo walking a few feet back.
Ugh!

Elle was going to have to get over that because
, unfortunately, they could walk wherever they pleased.

Turning her head back around
, Cassandra appeared before her. Elle came to an immediate stop.
Oh, shit.

Elle had seen she was back at English class and wasn’t eager to see what she would do to her for getting her suspended.

“Long time, no see, waitress,” Cassandra’s high-pitched voice rang in her ears.

Vincent slung his arm around Elle’s sh
oulders. “I figured you would have found out that Nero told everyone not to call Elle that anymore. I guess no one gives a shit about you when you’re gone.”

Cassandra’s mouth gaped open
then quickly shut as she took a step forward. “I heard. I just didn’t believe it. I missed four days of school
—
thanks to you
—
and
you
somehow think you’re the queen?” Cassandra looked Elle up and down, laughing hysterically. “You’re wearing the sweater my mom tossed into the Goodwill bin last month. You’re a trashy, little waitress, and that’s all you’ll ever be.”

As
Elle looked at the deranged face on Cassandra as she laughed, she wanted to run and get the stupid sweater off her body.

“And you’re just
a slutty, little whore who is jealous that your tits weren’t able to fill the sweater out.” Vincent laughed in her face. “I thought it looked familiar, but I guess I’m only used to seeing you without clothes and on your knees.”

Elle couldn’t believe her ears and was shocked beyond belief
while Cassandra looked like she had just been punched in the face.

V
incent pulled Elle to move along as he threw his final blow. “Come on, Elle. Don’t worry; no one will recognize the slut’s sweater on you. We’re all used to seeing her naked and swallowing.”

Elle moved with Vincent
, still stunned. She looked at Chloe, shaking her head and wondering if it was real, too.

“I think that
might have been a little harsh.” Cassandra had never been treated like that in her life. She despised Cassandra, but Elle didn’t wish her own life upon her.

“Sweetheart, I frankly don’t give a shit.”

* * *

Elle couldn’t move a bone in her body as the tears slid down her cheek. She
had watched the face of the beautiful girl named Chloe kick her in the ribs. Elle had nothing left anymore, becoming numb and paralyzed by the second person in the group to beat her.

Elle had begged at first
—pleaded—but it all had still led her to the continuation of the beating. So, Elle had given up, thinking maybe lying there broken would be enough to get them to stop.

The laughing still punctured her ears along with the jokes
. Those had hurt just as bad as the various shoes kicked at her face and body.

“Let’s get out of here
,” she heard one of them say. “The bitch got the message. Good job, Chloe.”

Elle couldn’t help
staring up into the gray eyes, trying to deliver her message. When Elle could no longer see her, she had known Chloe had understood.

Elle
lay there, wondering how long it would take for death to come and rescue her from her nightmare. She closed her eyes, feeling the warm, red liquid start to coat her body. She knew it was coming soon. Soon, she would be free…

Elle heard the rapping of the door enter her dream. “Sweetie, don’t you work tonight?”

Elle tried to open her eyes
, blinking back the wetness that had formed in her sleep.

The sound returned
. “Elle?”

Elle finally saw her bedroom door before her and was able to remember where she
was at. “Yeah. Sorry, Mom. I fell asleep.”

“Ok
ay, sweetie. I was just checking.”

Elle rubbed her eyes as she heard her mom walk away. She barely remembered how she
had ended up here. Finally waking up enough, she remembered the whole day.
If only I could forget.

When Elle
had returned home from school, she had been mentally exhausted and gone straight for her bed. She’d curled up into a ball, not being able to help thinking about the day.

Nero
had given her space, never walking too close to her and staying far behind. He hadn’t sat next to her at English, lunch, or even Art. He’d sat at another table that had some football team members.
At least he didn’t sit with the bimbos right in my face.

Elle admitted it
had been hard seeing him again. She had grown used to being around him in the short time they’d had. For some reason she didn’t know, he had grown on her.

Now Elle had to deal with Vincent
. He wasn’t bad.
Okay, he is terrible, but there’s worse.
Elle was glad he had been there when Cassandra had found her; otherwise, she wasn’t sure what would have happened to her. He had taken her to and from classes with no one giving her any trouble. That, she was thankful for. Furthermore, even though she would rather not see Vincent because of Nero, she would deal with it because he’d made sure she and Chloe were safe.

Elle
rolled over, looking at the time. She needed to start getting ready for work. Tonight she had the late shift and was the one to close again.

Elle yawned
, wishing she could stay in bed just a little longer. About to rise, she glanced at her bookshelf and noticed something that didn’t look right.

Elle studied the bookshelf
that was jam-packed and full of different things, yet to Elle, she knew something was missing from it. Elle looked at the space that used to hold her photo album. It was gone.

Elle rose up and went to the shelf
, wondering if it had been moved. She went through the whole thing.
Not here.
Elle looked around her room.
Nothing.

Elle distinctively remembered Nero putting it back on the shelf
.
Nero!

*
* *

Nero couldn’t believe he was going to suffer through another night of watching Elle go to work as she boarded the bus.
Why the fuck can’t I talk to her?

Nero had no idea how to win her back
. He’d thought he would find some way during school, but no opportunities had been presented.

Nero followed the bus to the stop Elle got off at
. As she departed, a sick feeling in his gut appeared. He had noticed a guy wearing a dark hoodie had kept a few paces behind her.

Nero kept his eyes glued to Elle as he went to park his car, his gut feeling to
o strong. When he got out of the car, a bus passed in front of him, blocking his view. His instincts started screaming at him to run to Elle, but he had to wait for the bus to move out of the way for him to go. When the bus sped on, he looked for Elle.

W
here the fuck did she go?

Nero ran across the street
, looking for her or the guy in the hoodie, yet he couldn’t see either of them.
Shit.

As h
e noticed an alleyway just a few steps ahead of where he had seen Elle standing last, he began running as fast as he could, making a sharp left. Nero’s heart stopped along with the world around him.

*
* *

Elle was pushed into an alleyway
.

B
efore she could scream, her mouth was covered. Elle kicked and hit at the person, holding her from behind.
The boss came for me.

Elle knew she probably wasn’t going to get out of this alive
, but she was going to do whatever it took to possibly survive.

Shutting her eyes
, she bit at the hand over her mouth, just how she had seen the man who had been murdered do.
Fuck, he died.

Elle bit harder when the guy didn’t remove his hand
. She felt her body being thrown into a brick wall, and then she heard the sound of her skull hitting the brick. Elle slid down the wall, slowly feeling herself lose consciousness.

“Shit, I didn
’t…” she heard a deep voice say as he held her face in his hands.

Elle tried to fight the feeling of darkness, but her lids became to
o heavy for her to hold.
Stay awake!
Elle held her eyes open a moment longer to see the face of a man she had seen at the diner. It was the college guy who had dropped the fork.
Why would he…?

Elle’s
eyes fell closed as her mind slowed down, trying to shut off. She felt a commotion going on beside her and heard the sound of flesh hitting flesh. Elle attempted to say a name as darkness fell upon her.

Chapter Thirty

The Clock is Ticking

Nero sat in the chair beside his bed, trying to steady his hands. His eyes never moved from Elle as she lay there, unmoving. He kept telling himself she was going to be all right; he just wished he could believe the doctor’s words.

He
had called the doctor his family used—legally and illegally—to come to the house as fast as possible. He’d told Nero she would be fine, and that she just suffered from a concussion. Nero wondered how many more times her head could take a hit before serious damage was done.
God only knows how many times she’s been hit in the head.

Nero ran his hands through his hair as he got up to stand over
her. He had never seen anything more beautiful in his life. He ran his fingers across her tan skin on her cheek, feeling the softness. She looked peaceful to him, and he would have thought she was actually at peace if she didn’t have a bandage on her head.

Nero had
been waiting for Elle to be in his bed, and here she was, in one of his old t-shirts she had been changed in to. The feeling wasn’t what he had hoped, though.

Nero looked at his now
-fucked-up hand. He had beaten the guy to a bloody pulp and left him there to live or die.
I really don’t give a shit.

The past few days had confused Nero
. One thing had happened after another where it concerned Elle, and he knew he had been missing something. Moreover, he had only grown further confused when the douchebag who had hurt Elle looked sorry for what had happened.

Nero took a deep breath as he reluctantly left his
bedroom. He headed down the stairs and went through his house, going up to the door he was seeking. Nero turned the handle of the office door and went inside.

“I was wondering when you
would finally figure it out. I hope you’re not too mad, brother.”

Nero walked toward the edge of the big desk holding Lucca’s feet
.

“Mad that you slashed Chloe’s tires
? No. Mad that you paid guys to make me jealous? No. Mad that you hacked my phone and texted Elle so she could catch me with another girl? No.”

Lucca put out his cigarette
. “Technically, Sal hacked your phone; I just told him to.”

Nero flexed his
jaw. His brother’s nonchalant attitude was getting the best of him. He thought about Elle lying upstairs and that was when he hit his breaking point.

Nero reached out and slammed the back of the leaning chair down as hard as he could
, making Lucca fall with it. Nero’s feet were then swept out from under him as Lucca grabbed his ankles, making him join him on the ground.

“Motherfucker
, he could have killed her!” Nero moved on top of Lucca, trying to hold him down.

Lucca laughed in his ear as he maneuvered Nero off him
. “Yeah, but he didn’t. The moment I saw her, I knew you’d like her. So, I had to see how much you actually cared. I just didn’t know she would have you whipped so quickly.”

Nero elbowed Lucca in the gut to get the upper hand
. “Why did you do all this to fucking prove that I liked her?”

Lucca
quickly got Nero on his back and tightly held his neck. “Careful, brother. This has to do with the family, and I’m your underboss. We’re not fighting over some girl. This one saw me, Sal, and Dad murder a man. And anyone else who fought me over a job wouldn’t live with both of his hands.”

Nero did know that was the
truth. He was breaking a lot of rules right now just because Lucca was his brother. Nero relaxed under Lucca’s hand at the realization, done fighting, and Lucca let go of Nero’s neck as he stood.

“
The clock is ticking, Nero. You need to find out if she saw any of our faces. If she did, then you gotta figure out a way to keep Dad from killing her. She needs to trust you, and you need to move things along at a quicker pace.”

As
Lucca put out his hand to help him up, Nero took it. “And you paying the broke college fucker to kidnap her was supposed to do all that?”

Lucca smiled at his brother
. “She was dragged into an alley and you rescued her. Sounds like some great fucking makeup sex to me.”

Nero ran his hands through his hair
, pulling back the mass from his eyes. Lucca had placed Elle right where Nero had wanted her.

“What do you get out of all this?”

Lucca picked up his chair from the ground and sat back down in it. “Nothing, besides my brother’s happiness.”

Nero snickered
. “Yeah, right.”

Lucca shrugged
. “Okay, I might gain something out of this. Just remember what I’m doing for you and Elle.”

Nero walked toward the door
. He knew Lucca was trying to help him not get Elle murdered by their father.
It’s just a shitty way to do it.

Nero turned the door handle to leave.

Lucca smiled through his voice. “You’re welcome.”

Nero slammed the door on his way out
. He knew exactly what his brother meant by ‘you’re welcome’—Nero had been waiting for Elle to end up in his bed for what seemed like a year now.

*
* *

As
Elle’s mind started to flicker back to life, she didn’t remember her bed feeling so big and warm.

S
he sunk into the bed, loving the feeling. Elle’s mind flickered again. Her head felt heavy and sore; she didn’t even want to attempt to move it.
Why does my head hurt so badly?

It all came flooding back;
she remembered being pulled into an alley.
Or was that a dream?
Her head screamed at her, and the taste of salt entered her mind as the memory of biting the man’s hand returned.

Elle
opened her eyes, and the image before her was one she had never seen before. Anxiety filled her body as she remembered being thrown into a wall.
Where am I? Does the boss have me?

She felt the bed sink in beside her and strong arms envelope her. Elle reme
mbered the scent, bringing good memories back to her and making her nudge in closer.

“I’ve got you
, baby,” a voice cooed to her, one she knew and made her feel safe.

Elle loved the smell that started to surround her along with the deep voice that murmured sweetly in her ear.
How do I know…?

Elle’s mind fully awakened as her
eyes shot open. Her face was pressed into Nero’s chest, her body being held by his. She pushed at his chest, trying to get some distance.

“Get off me.”

“Easy, Elle. You hit your head.” Nero rose up on his right elbow, not letting her go. His other hand was on her waist, but he let her lie back to give her some room.

Elle looked around the huge bedroom
. It was mostly white with big, dark-brown furniture. She saw a leather armchair beside the bed that looked like someone had just gotten up from it. Her focus then shifted to the glass door, a balcony on the other side. The room was masculine yet beautiful.

“Where am I?”

Nero laughed. “My bedroom.”

Elle thought about how in the world she
’d ended up there. The face of the college student appeared in her mind with the sound of flesh hitting flesh.

Elle looked up at Nero
. “How did you get there so quickly?”

Nero took a minute to respond, not wanting to
admit the answer. “I’ve been trying to find a way to talk to you since Friday. For some reason, I ended up just following you.”

Elle stared into Nero’s eyes
.
He’s been following me?

She
didn’t know how to feel about it, yet she could tell it had taken a toll on him. He looked like he hadn’t slept in a few days.

Elle shut her
eyes for a moment, trying to grasp how she’d ended up here in this glorious bed, wearing…“What the hell am I wearing?”

Nero smiled
, flashing his teeth. “One of my t-shirts.”

Elle hit at Nero’s arm repeatedly
. “You changed my clothes!”

Nero grabbed Elle’s wrists
, holding them above her head as his body rolled on top of hers. “No, my sister did, but I can easily fix that.”

Elle’s heart started to pound and the butterflies she hadn’t had in days filled her belly.
No!

“G
et the hell off me, Nero. I don’t want your skanky germs all over me.”

Nero grinned as he bent his head to her neck
. “You don’t mean that.”

Yes I do
.
“Yes I do!”

Nero parted her legs underneath him and pressed his clothed
, hard dick at her opening.

“Do you want me to stop
, baby?” Nero placed a kiss on her neck.

Elle’s breathe caught in her throat
.
No.
“Yes,” she slowly got out.

Nero
still kept his body above her. “What did I tell you about lying?” He flicked his tongue out and licked her skin. “Do you want me to stop?”

Elle’s wetness started to seep through her panties
. Nero’s hardness was just a fabric away.

Elle whispered her confession, “No, but you hurt me. I
don’t look or act like all the girls you screw around with, and I don’t want to be. I will never be enough for you, Nero.” The fact hurt worse than anything she could have imagined. Elle was the complete opposite of the girls he was used to, and it made her feel like Nero wasn’t even attracted to her.

Nero leaned up so she could see his face
. “I wasn’t going to go, and I had planned on letting Amo and Vincent fight over the third girl.” He made sure his eyes told her what he meant. “I heard Cassandra was going to be there. She wasn’t, though. And I was about to leave when Vincent found his sister.”

Elle stared at Nero to see if he spoke the truth
. She let out a breath, not sure if she should really believe him. Her body might not need the explanation, not caring why he had gone, but her heart and mind needed to understand.

Nero started kissing and sucking
at a small piece of her neck, his hands running down her arms.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you
, baby. I admit I made the date, but that was before I finally realized I wanted you.”

Elle’s heart started picking up the broken pieces
, placing them back together. She grabbed Nero’s hair, unable to stop her body from touching him.

Nero moved his hands down her body to the tops of her bare legs
. “I fucking love the way you look. Your strawberry-blonde hair and big, blue eyes.” Nero ran one hand up the back of her leg, under the oversized shirt, going over her tiny, boy-short panties. “I love your ass.” Then he went up her belly to grab her breasts over her thin bra. “And these.”

It was hard for Elle to concentrate on his words
. She was just glad she’d decided to wear underwear that covered more than her others today. Because she couldn’t fight Nero; his hands felt too good over her body.

As
Elle arched into him, her body screaming for more, Nero groaned into her neck and his hand that hadn’t moved from her thigh went to her pussy, holding it through the barely-there material.

Nero’s voice turned harsh
. “I won’t fuck you tonight because I know you’re nothing like the girls I’ve been with, but you’re going to let me play.”

Elle held her breath
, becoming nervous, not knowing what ‘play’ meant to Nero. She had never experienced anything sexual in her life. She guessed Nero felt her nerves when he kissed her hard on her lips. Her memory of how he tasted wasn’t as good as the real thing, either. She hungrily kissed him back, trying to make up for the kisses they’d lost.

She felt Nero’s hand start to rub
her through her panties, his whole hand cupping her, grinding across her back and forth. Elle pressed herself harder into his hand, her arousal rising higher as her wetness seeped through her folds.

Nero put his lips by her ear
. “You are so fucking wet for me, baby. Have you ever come before?”

Another rush of
moisture escaped her as she listened to his words. She didn’t want to answer.

Nero kept his rhythm on her pussy
, but then moved his other hand under her bra to grope the sensitive flesh he had been waiting to hold.

“Have you?”
His whisper was now gone.

Elle shook her head
, not able to deny Nero his answer.

H
er chest rose when he rubbed her nipples into tiny peaks. His fingers felt rough over her delicate skin, making it almost unbearable.

“
Good. The first time you come will be in my hand, and the second time will be with my dick in your pussy.” Nero thrust his tongue in her mouth as his thumb found her clit.