High Voltage (6 page)

~ Dino ~

Peeling Back Her Layers

M
inka is never deadlier than when sporting a bikini.
I’ve seen this woman naked more than once now, and I still manage to lose the
ability to speak when she whips off her towel to reveal a pale blue top and
pink bikini bottom. Minka turns on horrible music on her phone and shakes her
ass for me before doing a cannonball into the deep end of the hotel pool.

The pool closed an hour earlier, but I slipped the
front-desk clerk a C-note to let us swim without the nuisance of loud kids. Now
we have the heated pool and party-sized hot tub to ourselves.

I don’t jump into the pool like a rowdy kid.
Walking down the steps, I meet a wet Minka at the middle of the pool.

“You always have to make a big entrance,” she
mocks, swimming away from me.

“What is this horrible shit we’re listening to?”

“You’re kidding, right? This is Joan Jett and the
Blackhearts. How can you not know that? Oh, and never call my music shit.”

“You can’t even dance to it,” I mutter. “What’s the
point?”

“The point is I like it, and you like me, so you
need to fake like you enjoy my shitty tastes. I do the same for you.”

“The Rat Pack rules, doll.”

“Sure, and spaghetti is the best food ever!” she
cries all excited before giving me a frown, “See how easy that is? Now you fake
it.”

“I’ve never dated a woman I needed to fake shit
for.”

“It’s called growing up. Tell me how it turns out.”

Laughing, I reach for her, but she’s playing
flirtatious mermaid and refuses to let me catch her. I think she knows I plan
to harpoon her, and she wants to avoid being impaled for the time being.

“I heard you have a sister,” I say, letting her
swim around un-accosted.

“Yeah, Verina is married to a balding fat guy who
thinks she can do no wrong.”

“Even if she listens to shitty music?”

Minka smiles at me over her shoulder before diving
into the deep end. I watch her feet appear in the air and then she is gone
under the water until reemerging at the other end of the pool.

“Her husband, Rick, is always trying to lose
weight. Every time we talk on the phone, she tells me about a fad diet she has
him and the family on.”

“Do you like her?”

“Sure. I mean, I wouldn’t have anything in common
with her if we weren’t related.”

“What about your brother?”

“Taz smells like cigarettes and claims women
disappoint him.”

“He sounds like a joy.”

“Oh, he is. His last wife always answered the phone
and gave me the third-degree thinking I was one of his whores. I eventually
visited Vegas, where they lived, and threatened to cut off her face if she kept
me from talking to my brother. She cried.”

Minka smiles at the memory. “The funny thing is I
don’t like talking to Taz, and he doesn’t like talking to me. We just didn’t
like having anyone telling us what to do. We get that shit from our mom, who
once threatened a cop for asking her to stop flicking her ashes at people at
the bus stop.”

“Your family sounds a real pleasure.”

“Don’t talk shit about my family, Dino,” she
growls, giving me a look that many men died seeing. “They suck and will die
without anyone caring, but they’re still my blood. I defend what’s mine even if
I can’t fucking stand them. Get it?”

“Oh, I get it,” I say super smooth and soft.

Minka’s angry expression relaxes immediately, and
she smiles at me.

“You’re pretty irresistible when you want to be,”
she says, swimming away from me.

“Funny.”

“You only have the one brother?” she asks, swimming
towards me before changing her mind.

“If I want to catch you, you’ll be caught.”

“What’s your brother’s name?” she says, returning
to me.

“I like when you submit.”

Minka smirks and pokes my chest. “No, you don’t.
You like the chase. If you ever truly caught me, you’d get bored.”

“You think?” I ask, cupping her face.

“Are you afraid to talk about your brother? Will
you get emotional? If it makes you feel better, I’m very good at patting people
on the back when they cry.”

I take her hands and press them against my chest.
Her nails dig into my flesh enough to make my cock hard but not enough to draw
blood.

“You’re too perfect when you play.”

“Why won’t you tell me about your brother?”

“No reason. I just don’t know where he is or if
he’s even alive.”

“How come?”

The concerned look on her face makes my heart
tighten. As much as I love the chase, I want the real shit too. I need her to
care because I won’t play the fucking fool.

“He went into law enforcement. Undercover shit.”

“He’s a cop, and you worked for the mob? Cain and
Abel stuff, huh?”

“Frankie is a fucking idiot. That’s all I got to
say about that.”

Minka fights laughter. “Tell me your parents didn't
really name you Frank and Dino.”

I give her a dark frown, and she laughs.
Right
in my damn face too.
With anyone else, I’d want blood. With Minka, I
fucking laugh along with her. The woman has too much power, and I just keep handing
her more.

“What would they have named girls?”

“Francesca and Dina.”

“Of course.”

Playing with her wet hair, I sigh. “You know, if
I’d had a little sister to protect, I might have never gotten my start in the
mob.”

Minka studies me with her dark eyes, and I know
she’s considering pushing the topic of my brother. Now I’ve given her another
possible line of interrogation. Will she take it or make me squirm?

“Why a sister?” she asks, giving me a break.

“I always wanted a little sister to protect. It was
just Frankie and me, though. So I was protective of the younger girls in the
neighborhood. One day when I was fifteen, I saw some local guys I knew. They
weren’t friends, but it’s the type of neighborhood where you know everyone.
While I was riding my bike, I noticed them teasing a girl named Shannon. They were crowding her and corralling her towards the backyard belonging to one of
the guys.”

“Sounds like a nice place to grow up,” she says,
tapping my chest with her long fingers.

“It was picturesque. You’d like it.”

“Of course I would,” she whispers against my lips.
“Now, why can’t you lie like that for me?”

Kissing her softly, I wrap my hands possessively
around her waist. “I promise I’ll lie my ass off next time you ask about your
shitty music.” Minka smiles and relaxes back into the water. After dipping her
hair into the pool, she glances at the hot tub.

“Let’s relax while you tell me the rest of your
story.”

I watch her slide through the water towards the
steps. She’s temptation personified. When she smiles at me over her shoulder, I
feel weak and desperate.
Is she the devil?

I join her in the bubbling hot tub. She leans back
and lets her sexy body slide under the water until only her head remains
afloat.

“Those boys were trying to get Shannon into a backyard.
What happened next?”

Under the water, my fingers find hers. Minka’s dark
eyes warm, but she only waits for me to tell the rest of my story.

“I wasn’t the powerhouse I am now. Some might even
say I was scrawny, but Mom told me I was scrappy. When Frankie and I fought, he
always won but only after I hurt him.”

As a smile lingers on her face, Minka slides
closer.

“I had to challenge those guys, but I knew I was
gonna bleed too. There were four of them, and they were seniors.”

“But you had to do it.”

“Wouldn’t you?”

Still smiling, Minka nods. I study her expression
for too long, but she’s fucking ravishing when wet.

“They had Shannon backed against a gate, so they
never saw me coming. I got the drop on one of them. The leader, I guess. I
kicked him into the fence, and he hit his head. I grabbed some rocks from the
house’s garden and threw them at the other guys. They were coming at me by
then, and Shannon was smart enough to make a run for it. I only needed to get
away myself at that point. I figured they’d chase me home where Mom would yell
at them for bothering her boy. Sounded easy, but one of them was a tackle on
the high school football team, and he crushed me.”

Minka’s fingers wrap around mine under the bubbles.
She’s consoling the kid in me who played hero and got his ass kicked for the
trouble.

“I don’t know what might have happened if I hadn’t
been a scrappy fucker. I was pissed about them messing with Shannon. I was even
pissed that they were causing Missus Waller’s yard to get torn up. I started
kicking and hitting anything around me. Frankie claimed I looked like I was
having a conniption fit when he showed up. I know I bit one guy and grabbed
another guy’s balls. I was twisting those balls when my brother got there.
Frankie didn’t have to do much. Those fuckers were already hurting and thought
I was crazy. Once they saw I had backup from my big brother, they bailed on the
fight.”

“How did that lead you to your line of work?”

“Got me noticed by the Morelli mob. I was still
young, but I got a rep for being willing to go ugly to get shit done.”

“Yeah, the biting definitely makes you stand out,”
she teases, kissing my shoulder. “Who was your first target?”

“A nobody used car salesman banging the wrong guy’s
wife.”

“How did you do it?”

“Made it look like a break-in. Did it with a bat.”

“How did you feel afterward?”

“Numb, I guess. Not really guilty. Just strange
that a person was part of this world and then he wasn’t.”

Minka studies me. “Did it make you feel powerful?”

“Not really. The way people respected me gave me
power.”

“I always feel more powerful by getting away with
stuff than from the actual stuff I do.”

Caressing her lower lip, I murmur, “I love watching
you walk into a room. You move like a stone-cold killer. Anyone with a brain
can see what you are.”

“Stop praising me. It makes you seem desperate,”
she says, sliding onto my lap. “A desperate Dino makes me want to fuck.”

“We don’t want that, now do we, Apples?”

“Appleby isn't my real last name, you know?”

“What’s your real last name then?”

“Cockbottom.”

Laughing, I wrap her in my arms. Minka grinds her
pussy against my dick, and I feel my erection nearly tear through the swim
trunks.

“What was your first job?”

“Not now,” she whispers against my lips.

My fingers tease the straps of her bikini. I want
to fuck her so badly, and the hot water is intoxicating on my skin. As much as
I want to rip her clothes off and sink my cock deep inside her, anyone can look
into the pool area and see Minka naked.

This idea is fucking unacceptable. No man is ever
allowed to see her naked again.
None.
Well, maybe a doctor if it’s to
save her life and only if I’m right there to keep his mind on work. Otherwise,
no one else will know my woman’s naked curves.

~ Minka ~

Killing Them Roughly

D
ino is a sexual dream come to life. I look at him
and instantly want to fuck. I can’t get enough of his lips on my skin. The guy
is addictive, and I’m his junkie. No getting around this fact, and I see no
reason to try.

After we return from the pool, he fucks me hard. I
come twice, leaving my entire body humming. I want more, though. Kissing him, I
straddle his hard, muscled body. He’s instantly thick in my hand.

“It’s never enough,” he murmurs.

I don’t know if he’s accusing me of being sex
crazed, or he’s simply making a declaration. All I know is I’ve enjoyed sex
before but never like with Dino.

Forty minutes later, he smiles lazily as I roll off
of him.

“You’d make a hell of a cowgirl.”

Flopping onto my stomach, I close my eyes and bask
in all of the hot waves of pleasure.

Dino is quiet. I half-open my eyes and take in the
sight of his sculpted face. He’s a damn Adonis, and I realize I’m wearing a
goofy smile. Dino creates a feeling of high-school-crush silliness in me.

“Are you sleepy?” he asks as the palm of his hand
glides over my ass.

“No.”

“I was thinking about how Black tried to kill you
today.”

“And you.”

“Yeah, but it’s my job to protect you.”

I consider bitching about this comment but decide
to give him a break.

“What were you thinking?” I mumble.

“He took over the meth business in Common Bend, and Cooper gave us the location of his main producer. At this time in the morning, I
bet the cops are relaxed. We could drive into town, hit the meth lab, and get
out before most people wake for work.”

Turning over, I sit up and smile at him. “Devious
is sexy on you.”

His hand goes to his cock, and he gives me a low
groan. “Now I’m going to be hard for the entire job.”

“Sorry, baby,” I say, giving him a quick kiss
before rolling out of bed. “I want to start trouble.”

Dino follows me, and his cock remains rock-hard
when he eases the thick muscle into his boxers. We both dress all in black and
arm up with military grade weapons. They’re unnecessary for tweakers, but if
the cops show up, we’ll need the firepower to escape Common Bend.

“If shit gets dicey,” Dino says as we drive in the
still-dark morning, “you bail. I’ll take the heat.”

“Okay. I’ll miss you.”

Dino frowns at me. “I’m not kidding.”

“Neither am I. You’re very memorable.”

“Don’t get killed or arrested.”

“Never occurred to me to do either.”

Scowling, he grunts, “Well, just don’t.”

“Okay. You should stay alive and free too. You
know, if that works for you.”

“Again you’re playing around when I’m serious.”

“It’s either playing around or telling you to fuck
the fuck off for telling me how to do my fucking job.”

“You sound like Hayes.”

“He doesn’t own the word ‘fuck.’”

Dino makes a noise that sounds like the lovechild
of a sigh and a growl. I caress his jaw, enjoying how the rough facial hair
teases my palm.

“I’ll kick ass, and you’ll kick ass. We’ll finish
the job and then return to the hotel to fuck and sleep. I don’t know why you
need to make it any more complicated than that, Dino.”

“Because I’m the man, Apples.”

“You’re
a
man. That’s true.”

Dino glares at the road, making me smile. He’s so
damn adorable when he acts as if his big dick puts him in charge.

We remain silent on the drive to Common Bend. Dino
parks near our destination, on a street lined with cars. We’ll blend in fine as
long as we return before the sun is up.

After a short, brisk walk, we arrive at the Harvest Fields Trailer Park. The meth lab is located at the back of the property, nestled
near thick woods. The other trailers have been moved awkwardly away from our
destination. Clearly, the locals know the place isn’t safe.
How happy will
they be in a few hours when they learn their meth-cooking neighbors are gone?

Dressed all in black, Dino is the picture of sexy
badassery. I want to hump him hard, but work calls. He tugs down his mask and
hides his handsome mug. Once I do the same, we’re on the move.

Dino runs for the trailer where all of the lights
are on. He takes a chance with the door being unlocked gets lucky. These guys
don’t expect anyone to fuck with them. Not when they have the Sheriff’s
Department watching their backs.

First through the door, Dino knocks one guy on his
ass and fires on a second one. His voice remains steady and quiet, even while
threatening to kill them for breathing.

I move past him and into a back room. One tweaker
is on the bed, playing with his puny dick. He doesn’t react when I enter. Too
high to know he’s about to die, he only smiles at the battered woman sitting on
the bed.

She sees me and inhales roughly. I take in the
sight of her and the tied up women on the other side of the room.

“Don’t move or speak,” I warn.

The tweaker smiles wider and reaches for the woman
next to him. He’s dead before his fingers touch her.

Turning my gun towards the women, I order them to
stay put in my manliest voice. They stare, too horrified to respond. I ease out
of the room without turning my back on the women. They’re victims, but so was
the sex slave in Guatemala who took a shot at me years earlier. No one is safe
in my world.

The pale fucker in front of me has shitty tweaker
teeth. He smiles at me as if I’m about to die, but he’s only biding his time.

“On the floor,” I order the asshole. When he
doesn’t react quickly enough, I crack the butt of my rifle against his head. He
goes down with a thud. “I said on the floor.”

My focus returns to the women behind me. They
remain very still even when Dino fires on someone in the kitchen. Glancing in
his direction, I see a tweaker gushing blood on the ground. The remaining
assholes know their time’s short. Most of them go for their weapons, but one
lunges past me to where the women wait.

Careful with my shots, I kill the one looking to
take hostages. Dino shoots the guy heading for the door. He kills another
asshole in the kitchen. When the guy falls towards a table, Dino grabs his body
to keep it from making a racket.

“Clear,” he says, tapping me on the shoulder.

“Stay quiet,” I tell the women before gesturing for
them to get up. “Untie that one.”

Beaten down too many times to fight back, the woman
on the bed only nods. The women think we’ll kill them next. Or we’ll sell them
off to the next pervert. Even wanting them to worry enough to remain docile, I
still feel like shit. Their lives weren’t easy before our weapons pointed at
them.

Dino leans over and whispers, “You want them or the
fire?”

“I’ll do the fire.”

Call me a wuss, but these women and their horrible
lives make me uneasy. I could have turned out like them so easily. One bad
decision here or there and I’d be someone’s bitch. I can almost see myself in
their terrified eyes.

Speaking in a quiet yet authoritative voice, Dino
leads the women out of the room. “You will walk into the woods and keep walking
until you reach the other side. When you speak to the police, you will tell
them Dick Richey saved you. Do you understand?”

The women follow Dino out of the already burning
trailer. I hurry outside after dumping as much accelerant as possible. I want
only ashes left for Black.

We watch the women shivering in the autumn morning.
None of them are wearing shoes. One is only in a tee and panties. They look
like survivors of a natural disaster, and I wonder what’ll happen to them next.

“Go and don’t look back,” Dino says. “If you do,
we’ll put you down too.”

The women walk into the dark woods, and I wish they
had shoes at least. With less than an hour before the sun rises, it's too late
to do anything for them.

Dino and I run in the opposite direction as the
women. We ditch the trailer park long before a single siren rings out in the
quiet morning.