PUSH: Ultra Alpha MMA Badboy Mafia Romance (Southside Brotherhood Book 2) (9 page)

Her hard peaks were beneath his fingers, the fabric not enough to hide her body's need, and his mind drifted to the slick, pink wonderland just to the south.

In a flash, a raking scrape across his cheek shot a bolt of thunder and scorching red flame through his locked-down, lust-filled brain.

“Fuck!”

Lilly wrenched and twisted her body pushing away.

Flynn’s fought every turn and move, determined to keep her. Blood drove into his greedy dick even as she jerked away.

He could feel the wet warmth of blood on the deep scratches.

“
STOP
it.” Lilly’s soft lust sounds replaced by anger as she struggled against the arm locked around her waist.

Don’t let her fucking go, man. Everything you are, is her. Show her the fucking way. She’s lost. You’re the damn map. Don’t let her go.

Flynn growled, his face buried into her neck as the animal in him sunk his teeth into the soft flesh at the curve just above the gold chain that held a Celtic symbol for strength. He fought to contain the madness, the lust and fire as his teeth took hold, and he heard her scream as her fists began to pummel his shoulders and the sides of his head.

“
Stop! God please, Flynn stop
.”

Her anger turned to desperate half-sobs, and he flung her away. With a grimacing roar, he turned and slammed both fists into the mirror, filling the room with a loud crash as glass flew, smashing onto the dark wood floor.

“What’s the matter with you?” Lilly’s hand flew to her neck where a red welt formed.

“
What’s the matter with me?
Are you fucking serious? You know what the fuck is the matter. I’ll walk through this fucking glass for you. I will. But it’s time to get off the fucking playground. You can’t tell me you don’t want what I want. We can figure this out, go away—”

“Go away? Where is ‘away’? You’re the one living in the playground. Our world isn’t like that. They’ll find us. They’ll find us, and you’ll be dead and I’ll be right back here, only my life will be a thousand times worse. Stop living in some fairy tale! Why can’t you just be here for me? Why does it have to be this?” Lilly flung her arms back and forth between them.

“
Because this is what we are!”
The veins in Flynn’s neck stood out
.
“You can’t call black, white. You can’t tell a lion it’s a lamb. And you can’t fucking tell me we’re friends.
Fuck friends
. I’ll never be your damn friend.”

“So, it’s your way or no way? You’re so damn smart, why are you sitting in this house in the dark for weeks, waiting to see what your fate will be? Waiting for your orders like a
good
soldier. Don’t pretend you’re not just as much locked into this life as I am. I have to do my job; I have to marry him. I have one person in this whole world who means anything to me, and if I don’t do this, she’ll die. She’ll lay there and suffer until she’s gone stiff and cold, and it will be my fault.”

“What the fuck, are you serious? How is it your fault? She’s sick. Shit happens. That’s not on you… There’s only one person in this world you care about?”

“Shut up. You don’t know anything. I can do something for her now, I’ve never been able to before. I just sat there and watched all those years while Connor treated us worse than stray dogs—watched him slam her into the wall and beat her until her eyes swelled shut and I could barely recognize her. Why do you think I’m here? You think I’m some mouse? I’m just here to do my duty and marry who I'm supposed to like a good girl?”

“I
don’t
fucking know. Why are you here?
Here
? You’re here to make me want to jump off the damn roof.”

“This is so not about you. I’ve got one chance to do something worthwhile, and I’m going to do it. I do what I’m told, and she gets to live out her life in peace. I’d walk across more than that glass to give her that—and not you or anyone else is going to stop me.”

Flynn looked to see dark red drops fall from his knuckles around his feet as he struggled to find enough air. His chest rose and fell in a fury as he watched the curve of her hips turn, the brush of her skirt against the edge of the sofa as she walked toward the door.

“I’m not fucking here to stop you; I’m here to help you.” Flynn’s voice caught.

“You know how you can help me? Don’t kiss me. Don’t think of me at all. You can’t be my friend, then be nothing. I’ll do my part; I won’t come back here. All I wanted was someone on my side, someone who didn’t
want
something from me. I guess that isn’t you, after all.”

Her fingers reached the doorknob.

She has not one fucking idea what I would do for her. Let her go; figure this shit out; get a fucking plan. Quit fucking around—she needs a champion. They’ve got her tagged and bagged with all the shit they’re hanging over her head. Don’t make it worse for her; make it fucking go away. Nail every set of balls to the damn fire ant hill that has turned her head into this damn mess.

The tips of his fingers shook and tingled as the wind caught the hem of her dress in the open door. He watched the roar of loosened copper curls blow over her face and the sway of her hips as she half-ran to the path in the strip of woods that connected the guest house to the gardens.

Just before she disappeared into the tree line, Flynn saw her braid flip around like a tail as she took one more glance back.

I’m coming, Lilly. I’ll always be here. I going to figure this shit out, and when I come for you next time, I’m going to be a damn tsunami and everyone that’s keeping you from me better get the fuck out of the way.

Chapter Ten

God, I’m freezing in here.

Lilly shook out her arms as she turned to the plexiglass wall on the other side of the room from where she sat. It housed another room full of cubicles. Most of them were empty at this time of day, but Lilly caught a glimpse of Ana’s short, blonde bob.

There was a distinct lack of a sense of passing time in this room, kind of like a drunk at a slot machine in Vegas.

When Lilly got her earphones on and dialed into the work, it was one of her only vestiges of peace. The complex codes danced in her head as she lay the layers of what would be a temple of gold for the families.

Why didn’t she just leave? Right? Like he said—pack up… or not even. Just walk out the door. Leave behind the sparkling world of opulence and privilege that was as foreign to her as love.

Because, the art to intimidation went beyond just violence.

More than the fear for your own life, it was the tentacles of control that the families of this particular, polished underworld wove. It started when you were still in the womb, then as you grew and showed your brand of worth, your strengths to lend to the cause, they studied how best to wiggle into your weak spots, your cracks, until their hold became unbreakable and you no longer recognized where your will stopped and theirs began.

But you could fight them. Resist.

First trick was to never show that you cared about anything or anyone. But how did a child know that? They didn’t. And even as a child, they’re always watching, planning and fitting you in like a puzzle piece in the grand master plan.

So it was for Lilly.

In the small, stone cottage, she grew and dazzled her mother and the other friendly faces of the small village with her savant-like ability to calculate in a split-second complex mathematical problems fit for a brain trust somewhere at MIT.

That skill drove her destiny, pushed it into others’ hands to be planned for her. Now, here, in this cold room, even with her incredible brain, she could not find the tunnel out—the key to free herself, to release their hold on the one thing in her life she cared about.

“Hey.” Lilly tiptoed toward the twenty-something blonde who was as close to a friend as she had at SPIN.

“Geez—” Ana jumped a few inches out of her chair. “Make some noise when you approach, scared the piss outta me.”

Ana sat up and looked around the room. Even without the privilege of knowing all the intricate knots tied around Lilly, it was clear that fraternizing with the golden child of this bizarre family was not going to get you any Christmas bonuses.

“Sorry. Bad habit.”

“Yeah, well, I guess I get it. I’d be tiptoeing around, too, if I had to live with some of your family.”

Lilly tried to give her a smile. Ana tipped her head to the side as Lilly sniffed and leaned on the edge of her L-shaped desk.

“They’re a riot, aren’t they? You should come for Christmas. I’m sure it’s as Norman Rockwell as they come.”

Ana snorted as Lilly played with some paper clips on her desk.

“Yeah, I bet. No thanks, my mom may take her white wine a little too seriously now and then, but I’ll stick with my own brand of crazy over what you have to deal with. Some of your clan is straight outta
Goodfellows
or
Jurassic Park
or some mash-up. I mean, gawd, at first, you meet Colin or Gideon, and you’re all fangirl ‘cause they have to be straight out of some lab somewhere where woman are creating the perfect man.
Theeennnnnn,
they start to talk, and my panties dry right up, ‘cause they be dicks.”

Ana’s dry, straight shot wit made Lilly burst out in a rare, loud laugh.

“Oh my god, I know. They look
sooo
pretty, but they just can’t keep their mouths shut long enough to enjoy it.” Lilly wiped her cheek.

“Maybe once you are Mrs. Dunleavy…” Ana let that trail off.

It was common knowledge that Lilly and Colin were engaged, but to see them together no one would know.

“Right, well. We’ll see.” Lilly spun a paper clip over and over, pulling her lips to one side of her mouth, then the other.

“So, you done for today? It’s getting kind of late for you to be here, isn’t it? Where’s your two best friends?”

“Oh, I’m sure they’re outside. I told them I would be out by eight. They like the place shut up tight by 6:30, but I had to finish this code for you-know-who.” Lilly looked at the huge expanse of cubicles, still in awe that she was the brain behind such a huge endeavor. “Listen, I need a favor. Can I use your phone? Mine’s dead and I promised my mom I would call her. It’s international, so I’ll pay you for whatever it costs.”

Ana upturned her phone in her palm without question.

“Thanks. I’ll try to keep it short.”

“Whatever, talk to your mom. I’m here until I finish this document. Your betrothed wants me to email it to him tonight. He’s such a charmer, said ‘get it to him tonight or get myself gone’.”

“Yeah, he’s got a way with words.”
And a way with his fists. Lucky, he saves that little piece of heaven for me.
“I’m gonna go call; I’ll bring it right back.” Lilly held the phone up with a twist back and forth as she gave her friend a stiff grin.

“Take your time. I’ll be right here serving our master.”

Lilly made her way back into the chill and white noise of her room. It was one o’clock in the morning back home, but her mom was a night owl by nature and Connor would be back from the pub and passed out—a perfect time to talk in peace.

“Hello?” Her mom’s voice sounded hesitant.

Lilly knew the strange number would throw her off.

“Hey, Mom, it’s me. I’m using my friend’s phone; mine died.”

Actually, my phone is fine, but my ever-vigilant fiancé tracks everything I do, including recording every call I make from my phone.

“How are you? How’s the work coming? Everyone here is so proud of you. I tell them all about how important you are, working on some new program that will make us all rich.” Abigail always had such hope in her voice when Lilly called.

Lilly tried to take a deep breath. Listening to how excited her mom was made it even harder to tell her the truth about what life was like for her now.

“I’m fine. I don’t think I’m going to make us all rich, Mom, so don’t get ahead of yourself.”

“Oh pooo, surely you will.” She broke off into a cough that set Lilly’s heart racing.

“Mom.
Mom
, are you okay?
Mom!”
Lilly held her forehead in her other hand, the sound of her mother coughing and gagging turning her face cold.

“I’m here. I’m okay.”

“Mom, I’ll get you here as soon as I can. I’m trying to finish. I wish he would let you come sooner. Are you okay? You see your doctor?”

“Yes, I did. They’re doing the best they can. It’s not like there. Connor has to drive me four hours to the medical center. I’m okay.”

“You’re not. I’m going to see if Colin will let you come now.”

“Just be a wee bit nicer, dear. He’s still a man, just do as yer told. Smile, try to give him a chance. I mean, he was always so lovely to you and me when he came to visit. I can’t imagine he has changed so much since you arrived.”

‘He’s still a man,’ that’s the same thing Mac said.

“Trust me. Whoever that was who used to come and bring us flowers and charm the shamrocks off the walls is not the same man who is here. They look the same, but that’s about it.”