Gun Moll (6 page)

Victoria blew out
a quiet breath and thankfully, dropped the topic. “That girl seems like a nasty
one, Mac. I never knew you to go for the ball-breaking type.”

“I don’t usually.”

“Then what’s up
with her?”

Mac shrugged. “I
don’t know, Vic.”

“You don’t know?”

“Nope.”

“Boo, you suck,”
Victoria crowed.

Mac chuckled.
“What do you want from me?”

“You seem to like
talking to her.”

“Because just
talking to the woman is like foreplay. And you can’t find many women like
that.”

Melina also made
his dick harder than steel with just a look, made his blood hot just by being
close, and got his darker urges thrumming deep with the sound of her voice. Mix
that all up with her sharp tongue, and he’d bet she was crazy in the sack.

The crazy ones
were fun.

Mac liked fun.

Victoria’s face
crumpled. “I don’t want to hear that.”

“Then stop
asking.”

Before Victoria
could say another thing, Mac’s phone rang in his pocket. He recognized the tune
instantly and pulled the device out of his jacket pocket.

“Skip,” Mac
answered as he picked up the call. He turned his back to his sister and took a
few steps away from the station, hoping she couldn’t overhear his call with the
Capo. “What’s up?”

“That shit with
the trucks you worked out is happening tonight, Mac,” Guido Vasari said. “You
need to be in on it to make sure it gets done. You’ve got the contacts with the
trucks, so make sure the drivers are well paid for the hell they’re about to
receive in the Kitchen. Make it look good. Stop by my restaurant later and I’ll
give you some cash to cover feeding their mouths so they can cover up their
bruises. The stuff better be hidden in the warehouses by morning. I also hear
you’ve got some dues to be collecting down in the Trifecta with Carlos.
Dallying around like a fool isn’t going to earn you any money, kid.”

Mac winced, taking
in the orders and what all of them meant. “I was heading down to the Trifecta
tonight, actually. The rackets are good. They pay. Carlos has them on a
schedule.”

“Fuck his
schedule. You pick up the checks when I want you to, not him.”

Forcing back his
irritation, Mac said, “Yeah, on it.”

“And the trucks.”

“And the trucks,
Skip.”

Even if that meant
he wouldn’t sleep for the next eighteen hours.

“Call me in the
morning and I’ll let you know if you’re needed for something else,” Guido said.

“Will do.”

“
Ciao
, Mac.
Don’t fuck this up.”

The phone call
hung up before Mac could say goodbye. This was how most of his conversations
went with his Capo. Frankly, Mac was lucky that he had gained enough attention
and respect from the Vasari Capo that he was on the man’s phone contacts. Most
soldiers simply answered to someone else who answered to Guido.

But it still
pissed Mac off like nothing else.

He worked his ass
off for Guido, who took all the credit when it came to the family boss for the
schemes and work Mac did, and was given very little for thanks.

Except a phone
call with more demands.

Mac was getting
tired of it.

“Mac?” his sister
asked.

Turning on his
heel, Mac shoved his phone in his pocket. “Sorry,
sorella
, but I need to
cut this short. Work and all.”

Victoria frowned,
but didn’t argue. “Okay.”

“Apologize to Ma
for me, too.”

“Why?”

“I won’t make it
to church, after all.”

A
ll of it was gone
now, except for a few precious things. Melina could hardly believe that one
small box was all that remained to remember her father by. Blowing out a breath,
she raked a hand through her hair. It had been an emotional week for her. She’d
kept putting it off and making excuses, but she’d finally forced herself to
clean up the three-bedroom apartment she’d shared with her father. Without him,
the place no longer felt like home. It was just a set of rooms that were
haunted by the ghost of a man too good for this world. Melina wiped away a
bitter tear.

With every box
she’d packed, the sorrow in her heart had grown just a little bit heavier.
Clothes. Shoes. The hats her dad had been so fond of wearing. It hurt to hold
onto them. It was better to give them to someone in need. There was one special
piece of clothing she’d kept, but even that had been a long debate within
herself.

The uniform.

A mark of Daniel
Morgan’s rank and selfless service.

A reminder of the
country that had spit on his service and let him down in the end.

Part of her wanted
to set it on fire and watch it burn to nothing; but regardless of how badly she
hurt, Melina knew her father wouldn’t have wanted that.

No. He would’ve
wanted her to honor his commitment to his country. It didn’t matter that he’d lost
everything. It didn’t matter that he’d been scarred for life after the horrors
he’d seen, because regardless of everything, he’d been proud to serve his
country. And it was because of that selfless love that Melina had his uniform
and all the insignias of his rank framed in a large memory box. Each day that
she looked at it would be a subtle reminder that no one could be trusted, least
of all the US government.

Trust no one and
they’ll never have the chance to disappoint you.
It was the creed
she’d adopted long ago. Melina would live by it until she took her last breath.
Taking one last look around the empty apartment, she nodded. The place was
spotless and the apartment manager would have no choice but to give her back
her full deposit.

The men from the
Salvation Army had been more than happy to pick up all the items she’d donated.
Furniture, clothes, and a few knickknacks here and there. Yes, everything had
gone except for her clothes and a box of her father’s keepsakes. There were so
many photographs. Melina hadn’t realized that there were so many pictures of
them. Hell, she didn’t even know that so many photos of her mother remained,
either.

Sarita Ann Morgan.
Kindergarten teacher. Loving mother. Amazing baker.

Dead at twenty-seven
from ovarian cancer.

Life was a bitch
that kept fucking you over.

Melina had been
eight when her mother passed. Old enough to remember the way her mother had
always smelled like vanilla. The way she’d always had a smile on her face for
anyone that came in her path.

“Look at you.
You’re growing into such a beautiful young lady.”

“Just like you,
Mommy?”

Melina stood
beside her mother. The two of them stared into the mirror, looking at their
reflections.

“No. You’re going
to be even more beautiful than I am. Don’t forget you’ve got your Daddy’s looks,
too, and we both know he’s no slouch in that department.”

“No, he isn’t.”

They both burst
into laughter and Melina turned, hugging her mother’s waist. Sarita ran her
fingers through her daughter’s long, black hair.

“What are you two
in here, giggling about?”

Melina’s eyes
followed the voice and she let go of her mother.

“Daddy!”

Going down on one
knee, he opened his arms and enveloped her in a warm hug. “How’s my princess
today?”

“Wonderful.”

“Wonderful, huh?
That’s good to hear. And how about my queen?”

Daniel rose,
holding Melina, and stepped towards his wife. He kissed her on the lips and
Melina made noises in the back of her throat.

“Better, now that
you’re here,” Sarita said.

“You two are so
lovey dovey.”

Daniel tickled his
daughter. “Well, why shouldn’t we be? We love each other and we love you, the
most adorable little girl in the world.”

Melina laughed and
squirmed until her father put her down. Then she took her place standing
between her mother and father. One big happy family.

If only she hadn’t
been fool enough to believe that was the way things would always be. At
twenty-five, she was alone in the world. Her mother’s parents had stopped
bothering to even keep in contact after Sarita had died. Daniel’s parents were
long gone, and with no aunts and uncles from either side, Melina was truly
alone. Some moments it hurt, but other times she didn’t care. Either way, she
would be okay. If Eve could survive getting kicked out of the Garden of Eden
and incurring God’s wrath, then there was no doubt Melina could. Besides,
Melina had one thing Eve didn’t … street smarts.

Laughing, Melina walked
to the front door and opened it. Stepping halfway out, she gave the apartment
one last glance and shut the door behind her. All she had to do now was return
the keys and this would be another piece of her past she could put to rest … forever.
Sometimes a body wasn’t the only thing that needed burying.

This is a bad idea
and you know it.

Melina parked her
car and silently swatted away her pesky inner voice. This might be a bad idea
but right now, she just didn’t give a damn. After squaring away things at her
old apartment, Melina had spent the rest of the day waiting around for the
movers to deliver the new items she’d purchased for her two-bedroom apartment.
She had a lot of work ahead of her, with decorating her new place and unpacking
the mountains of clothes she had, but she’d get to that all in good time.
Tonight, she was taking Dulcea’s advice and throwing her cares to the wind. She
was young, beautiful and single. Why not live a little? Especially when you
never knew when the opportunity would be taken away from you.

Checking out her
reflection in the rearview mirror, she wiped away a stray smudge of copper-colored
lipstick. Her hair hung in loose curls down to her shoulders. Her eyes were
rimmed with dark kohl and her lashes fanned out. The soft, black leather dress
clung to her curves like a second skin. The dress was strapless and studded
with gold beading around the bodice and ended at mid-thigh. Paired with ankle
high black boots, her ensemble was the perfect mix of bad girl sass. Melina had
no doubt that tonight she would have her hands full keeping the men at bay. But
it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle.

Stepping out of
her car, she locked it and quickly walked towards the packed club. It was a
good thing she’d learned how to walk in heels a long time ago. The club was a
block away and with the line of people that she was sure would be waiting
outside, there was no doubt she’d be on her feet for a while. She held her
clutch and enjoyed the bite of the wind across her back, and in a few minutes,
the club was in her view and the line was already crazy long.

Taking her place
at the end of the line, Melina watched the people around her. Throb
was
supposed to be one of the hottest new clubs in the area. Local gossip also
claimed the place was backed by mob money, but Melina didn’t buy it. The mob
was dead, as far as she knew, and if it wasn’t, she didn’t care. Tonight was
about her and she didn’t give a damn about anyone or anything else.

Ahead of her, a
group of teenage girls screamed and flashed their breasts, begging for
attention. Pathetic.

There was nothing
wrong with being sexy. Melina thrived on the power she had as a woman, but she
also knew when to draw the line. Mystique was everything. Today’s females
needed to learn that if they shared everything, they’d have nothing left for themselves,
including respect.

The line inched
ahead and Melina went with it. Suddenly, broad shoulders were pushing into her,
making her lose her balance.

“What the fuck?”
she asked.

A pair of hands
gripped her shoulders and Melina looked up. A tall, dark-haired man with olive
skin and chocolate brown eyes smiled at her.

“Please, forgive
me. I didn’t mean to bump into you.”

Melina nodded and
took a step back. The man released her.

“Let me make it up
to you,” the man said.

“That’s not
necessary.”

“Please? A
gentlemen does right by a lady, when he can.”

Melina laughed.
“What did you have in mind?”

“Well, I happen to
be close associates with one of the owners of this place. I can get us in past
the line and into the VIP area, all free of charge.”

Melina raised a
brow. “Really? I’d like to see that.”

“Your wish is my
command, lady.”

He held out his
arm and against her better judgment, she took it. With a smooth pace, the man
eased them to the front of the line. The bouncers took one look at him and
opened the doors, letting them inside. She smiled.