Deadly Seduction (10 page)

“Most aren’t looking for casual fun unless they’re gettin’ paid for it and I’m not as blasé as Cillian to admit I have paid for it a few times. They weren’t Naomi but…they did what they were supposed to do, and that was show me a good time.”

I checked my ultra-feminine Cartier watch, a gift for my twenty-fifth birthday from my father. “I suppose this all has a point?”

“Well, yeah…but seein’ as you aren’t in any real big hurry since we got rid of your douchebag ex-boyfriend, I thought I would tell you my story, ya know, get some shit off my chest—”

“Listen, I’m neither a priest nor a shrink—”

“—that you’re not but you
are
the mother of my first-born nephew so let a motherfucker talk, will ya?”

I had to admit those few words gave me room for pause. “I ran into Naomi a few weeks ago and we started talkin’, started to get to know one another. I asked her out on a date and she politely declined and told me she ‘didn’t date bikers.’ Can you believe that shit? Anyway, so I kept up at it because she’s not hard to find, seein’ she’s back at home workin’ at her dad’s firing range.

“I go in everyday to practice there and one day she stops me to let me know her father got about ten Desert Eagles he’s sellin’. They’re brand new, still in the box, serial numbers and bullets—completely legit, right? So, I buy two and then ask her pops if I can take her out. He’s used to havin’ us around and he politely tells me, ‘Ain’t many black men to choose from in these here parts so yeah, you can take her out. I gotta warn you though, she bought one of them Desert Eagles too, and son, she knows how to use it. So I best tell ya know to keep yo’ dick in yo’ pants till she’s
ready
to see it.’”

I laughed out loud against my better judgment. “Well good for you. I never thought you would be settlin’ down so soon but life happens and the world you live in…it’s rough. You need a good woman to be able to hang in there with you—”

“Yeah, exactly.” Ronan dropped his hands to his side. “I’m not judgin’ and I know Quinn knows what he’s doin’ but I don’t believe in ever making a Saint slapper an old lady—”

“Lola’s twenty-two, Ronan. How many men has she been through at that age?”

His eyes bulged. “None of the old ones but Bookie, Cricket, Cillian and I have all fucked her. I think even Kaelan—aka Jaden since that is his rock star persona—hit it the last time he came down. I don’t know what he’s thinkin’ gettin’ involved with her. Yeah, she’s a pretty girl but…not for me.”

“Do you think she would end up like Brianna?” I questioned truthfully.

“No. I think she’ll end up like Bronaugh, my mother. I need someone like Naomi because she knows when to be tough but there’s also a vulnerable side I get to see. She knows when to tone it down and when I need her to be a lady. That’s the kind of woman every man in this life needs. We need you tough but not so tough you can’t ever settle down and be a woman and let us take care of ya.”

Ronan walked closer to me until we were merely a couple feet apart. “I know I’ve got no right but…Cillian is a good man and he’s going through shit that other brothers would be sittin’ in prison for now. If Brianna was my wife, the moment I found out that motherfucker, Trey Lennon, knocked her up, I woulda killed him and then I woulda turned around and murdered her ass—baby and all. I can’t
deal
with shit like that, I’m exactly like my dad, and that’s why my mother has never strayed.

“Cillian may
look
like a younger version of our father but he isn’t Dad. He isn’t that cold or callous, and he certainly could never hurt a woman…physically. He’s been lost since you left him—”

“That wasn’t my decision!” I exclaimed before I calmed myself down.

He placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “I know it wasn’t. You need to give him a second chance, if for no other reason than the sake of his sanity. He was never meant to be with someone so weak and who didn’t know a damn thing about Club life and how to act. She was like a kid in a candy store. All she saw was a bunch of fine ass men and wanted to fuck all the time. Brianna didn’t see Cillian as human or that he would go through some shit after a kill…takin’ a man’s life changes you, and not for the better. You need a woman who understands that, not spreads her legs as soon as you come home and thinks you want to fuck.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Ronan continued as he smiled, “sometimes you do if there is enough adrenaline fueled with booze and chronic flowing through your veins but…”

I wrapped an arm around his broad shoulders. “I suppose I am your shrink after all and none of this will ever leave this room.”

“Sometimes, all you wanna do is just have a woman wrap her arms around you and cry. I mean, just break down into heart poundin’ sobs because it fuckin’ hurts so bad. You didn’t just end another man’s life but a piece of your own humanity went with his and this is the shit you can’t tell your brothers because they know and they’ve been through it. It’s shit you can’t even be honest with yourself about because no one wants to admit a life of crime turns you into an animal and you do lose your humanity—all of it, eventually, if you aren’t careful.”

“Are you afraid of that?”

“No, not for myself but Cillian…today is the most peaceful I’ve seen him in over a
decade
. He knows what he has to do tonight but you gotta be there for him, Sela. Don’t leave him out there all alone. He’s got so many demons and he’s a fuckin’ asshole big brother but he’s still my brother and we need him to be strong. He’s gonna lead the Club one day and someone has to be able to have the balls to stand up against the Koslakov and the Navarro families.”

“Isn’t one of your cousin’s a Navarro?”

“Yeah but that
puta
don’t care about us,” Ronan said, doing a perfect imitation of someone from the Navarro cartel. “Motherfucker thinks he’s completely Mexican and always goin’ on and on about all this Aztec bullshit when if his mother hadn’t had him—and our aunt is as Irish as paddy’s pig—the stupid prick wouldn’t even be alive.”

“True. Hence the reason why Drake and I identify with all parts of our family, as twisted as they may be.”

“I heard your grandfather was a Nazi on your mom’s side—that true?”

I laughed out loud. “Um, no, it’s not true. My grandfather was born in 1943 and my mother was born summer of 1965. My great-grandfather was a supposed Nazi but we don’t talk about what life was like over in Germany before 1940.”

“I bet you know kraut though?”

I smiled tightly. “Yes, I’m fluent in German…and French. My grandmother is, technically, half French since her parents were born in Alsace-Lorraine. It was German land before the end of World War I so my grandmother identifies with being German but she also grew up speaking French.”

He began walking towards the door as he said, “Looks like Cillian picked himself a winner this time.”

“Did he?” I smiled again as Ronan paused, and turned my way. “I’m just as damaged as he is and I know I should be grateful because Conan wasn’t raised by strangers but…he was our first born and we were both cheated out of a future with him. If it’s been hell on Cillian, just know that it’s been no walk in the park for me either.”

“I know it hasn’t but you’re strong and a survivor. You won’t let this kill you and in the end, you’ll be stronger because of it.”

He winked at me and I watched Ronan leave my office before I walked over to my desk and sat down.

I hope to God I’m strong enough for what Cillian needs at this moment in his life. I have to be.

As I breathed a loud sigh of resignation, I looked at the official separation paperwork and buried it under a stack of files. Even the thought of Brianna having the last name of Cox filled me green with envy although I would never tell a single soul that. Some secrets weren’t worth repeating.

Chapter Seven

Cillian

It was almost four o’clock before Cillian drove to Jackson and Hughes Law Office in Lake Tahoe.
He took his truck to look less conspicuous; he had a feeling the law would be all over him like the force of God after this crime so he choose to live his last few days in utter freedom with relish.

He walked in, past the reception desk where Debra, the receptionist, waved at him before he made a beeline for her office. Gisela was still at her desk and also on the phone as she pulled out the legal document and handed it to him.

Cillian began to read the document as he said, “Renee is never gonna get this to court on time.”

Gisela ended her phone call and faced him, her gorgeous amber eyes were bright though they had a mysterious twinkle in them. “She doesn’t have to—she’s going to e-file the documents, and mail in the original copy.” She smiled at him as he sat down across from her in one of the client chairs and signed the paperwork with his left hand.

“Listen, about last night—”

“Last night was…well, last night. You’re a busy man and I understand what kind of predicament you’re in at the moment. You had to make sure Declan and Caitlin were safe. It’s no problem, really. I didn’t take offense because you left before I awoke.”

His crystal blue eyes darkened in his sexy, handsome face. “Maybe I
wanted
you to take offense. You’re not just some common piece of street trash, Gisela, and if I treated you that way, it wasn’t my intention. I needed to get the kids to school and talk to Brianna before we left. She deserved the right to know it was over between the two of us.”

His beautiful lover glared at him before she turned toward her Mac PowerBook again. “Brianna isn’t as stupid as you think and if she was smart, she would have known whatever you two had was over a long time ago.”

Cillian slammed his fist down on the oak desk. “That’s the problem. You give her too much credit because she
is
that dumb. She begged me to stay but then said I would have to change my philandering ways if we were going to make a go at a real relationship.”

“And what was she going to do about
her
philandering ways? Were they going to stop?” Gisela stared at him with a strange look of both resignation and pity. “We don’t have to talk about this right now. Believe me, I’ve gotten the pep talk from Ronan and I won’t abandon you. At this point…the legal separation was the best I could do. With our luck, your divorce would have been fast tracked so the state could get a hold of Brianna’s testimony. I am not trying to…end what we have before we begin but try to see the situation from my point of view.”

“Believe me, I am. I realize even if I wasn’t going to be in trouble, I don’t look like the hottest catch right now. I’ve got two children and a crazy old lady I am merely legally separated from…not exactly ‘hot stuff’ material.”

She glared at him. “Those are your hang-ups, not mine. I certainly wasn’t silly enough to think you would allow Brianna to take the kids. She obviously isn’t capable of living without a man, and Lord knows what those two children will be forced into.” Gisela sighed out loud. “Let’s just take it one day at a time. Shall we? You get through tonight and we’ll discuss what happens tomorrow…well, tomorrow. That is the best I can do for you right now, is that understood?”

“Yeah.” Cillian stood and handed the paperwork back to her. “Listen, I have to get ready and the meeting is going down in less than a couple of hours. I hoped we would have more…time…to discuss everything but that doesn’t seem like it will be the case and I’m sorry for that.”

He turned his back on her and she suddenly said, “Please wait.”

He stopped and as she approached, the scent of Pure Poison filled his nostrils and he found himself once again in that state of enthrallment as she stepped in front of him. Her business suit was smart, expensive and tailored with a skirt that barely ended above her knees. She looked professional, intelligent and way too damned sexy to have her body pinned up in such upscale attire.

“Listen, I just want you to know that I do care about you and love you still. Not that you don’t already know that.” Her hands touched his chest covered by a white tee-shirt but he could still feel the heat radiating from her palms. “Be careful tonight and if you think there is a possibility of any kind of set up…walk away. It’s not worth it if I am going to end up on my own and those two children who love and worship their father end up without you.”

“Please tell me you inserted some kind of Rider about custody in the paperwork—”

“I did. Desmond and Bronaugh will get full custody if something should happen to you but still…Dec and Cait…they want
you
to raise them—not their grandparents.”

Cillian leaned into her and caught the scent of Garnier shampoo in her freshly washed hair. He was still half a foot taller than her even though she wore a pair of nude four-inch heels that went well with the caramel colored suit she wore. Her olive toned skin radiated health and warmth. There wasn’t a flaw to be seen on Gisela except for maybe the carefully hidden tattoo he’d had her get for him almost fourteen years before.

The artist in question, Sean, had been reluctant knowing who her family was, and how much Raymond would come down like the wrath of God if he only knew. However Gisela had sworn him to secrecy and promised no matter how much her father beat her black and blue, she would never give up his identity.

She was feisty, even when she’d been fifteen, and over the years, her personality traits were that much more apparent.

Cillian knew he had to leave before he ended up doing something he would regret. He kissed her forehead and allowed his lips to linger longer than necessary before he pulled away and began to walk out of Gisela’s office.

“Babe?”

He stopped in his tracks and turned around to face her again. She hadn’t called him that in more than fourteen years. “Yeah, Butterscotch?” he wondered, using an old nickname because her skin reminded him of butterscotch candies.

“You’ve told me everything…haven’t you?”

His heart thundered in his chest. “What do you mean?”

“I mean about tonight. I can’t defend you adequately if you…haven’t given me all the facts.”

Cillian’s crystal blue eyes filled with mirth as his lips formed into a panty-melting grin. “Everythin’ you need to know, darlin’.”

“I know exactly what that means.” She walked over to her desk and sat down again. “Don’t think you’re gonna fuck me again until you tell me what you didn’t let me know. Until then, enjoy the feeling of blue balls.”

“But—”

“I have a very reliable spy, Cillian. If I find out you’ve been with a Saint Slapper, I’ll cut it off. Have fun, lover.”

He left her office and passed by the receptionist before he walked outside. The sun was starting to set and already the weather was beginning to become noticeably colder. He pulled his cut around his body before he slid into his truck.

A few more hours and this horrible fucking day would be over.

The deal with
Aztecas Infierno
took place two hours before Riley was told.
There were only four of them from the Saints: Cillian, Ronan, Cricket and Kink. From the Navarro side, their cousin, Carlito was there along with three of his foot soldiers: Lil Benny, Juanito, and Manny. Cillian didn’t like any of them, including his cousin; however he also knew they wouldn’t get a bullet in the back of the head.

“Where’s Quinn and that new guy…Riley?” Juanito slurred a bit before he finished up a forty-ounce and threw it against the warehouse wall, the glass shattering within the paper sack.

“Real classy…” Ronan lit a cigarette. “All that fuckin’ money you guys are makin’ and you’re still drinkin’ Colt 45?”

“Hey, I bet your coco puff would prefer what I’m packin’ rather than that skinny ass, little white
dick
you got in your pants.” Lil Benny laughed out loud as he and Juanito high-fived one another.

“You mean this big cock right here?” Ronan wondered as he undid his pants and took out his dick while a nine millimeter clicked in his other hand. “Yeah, you faggots gotta stop lookin’ at my fuckin’ dick and start lookin’ down the barrel of this motherfuckin’ gun I’m pointin’ at ya. By the way…refer to Naomi as a fuckin’ ‘coco puff’ again and one of you will go home limpin’ tonight.”

Cillian stared at Carlito who looked back with the same crystal blue eyes as his own and it was like glancing at a Latino version of himself. “Listen, now that the pissin’ competition is over, I know the product is pristine but I gotta try it out. My pops is thinking about starting to cut it with meth and although a deal with the White Knights makes my fuckin’ ass itch, business is business.”

“
Puta cabrón
scum ass white trash motherfuckers.” Carlito spit on the ground before he reached into his pocket and handed Cillian a vial. “Same shit as we’re sellin’ you. We don’t cut our product with meth, especially when we’re givin’ you wholesale prices.”

“Listen, we’re in the middle of an upgrade at the Clubhouse and it’s drainin’ our finances. We won’t be doing this forever, just until we can get back in the black.”

“Hey, you do what you want but don’t be braggin’ about how you got pure
AI
product when you’re dilutin’ that shit, you got it,
cousin
?”

Cillian nodded before he opened the vial and snorted a bump. It was pure as the driven the snow and the high was pretty much felt as soon as the drip began in the back of his throat.