Azriel had been in such a good mood. Apparently Michelene loved the idea of boutiques coming to her rather than going to them. And they only brought her size, which she declared was so much more convenient. Who knew it could be so amusing watching her pick frilly little things that caught her fancy? The unbridled joy on her face just made him feel all
…
Fuck, he was
that
guy. The entire time she’d tried on different outfits he’d mentally pictured each place he would take her to suit that outfit. Pussy whipped. Totally and completely fucking gone.
Right now she was passed out, wearing a delightful little white babydoll teddy. Damn, but she looked adorable in that thing. How was a man supposed to resist? Of course the matching panties had to go, but there was something to be said about lace on skin. Essential parts tended to peek through the openings in the woven material, making it ever so easy to get a taste. The three hours of watching her pick out a new wardrobe were oh so worth it when they were followed by three hours of his baby girl showing him how grateful she was.
Then this call had come. Finding out the identity of Michelene's stalker was important to him—aside from takign careof the problem of her mother, it was paramount. The last thing he'd expected was for her problems to be so closely entangled in his own. So now it was back to business. This shit had to be ended soon. Not only the threat against Michelene, but the insane family drama that caused those dark shadows in her eyes. He wouldn’t tolerate them anymore.
“Father Emmanuel Cruz. First cousin to one Rico Cruz, who I hear is none too pleased about you declining a contract.” Pierre Cadeau told him. Michelene's brother was a wild card, but one she believed had no hand in her problems, so Azriel had creached out to him to accomplish this task.
“You’re sure?” But even as Azriel asked, he knew the answer. Not used to working with anyone, he had set about finding out some information for himself. He just wanted to see how much this man knew and how much he was willing to share.
“I have a vested interest in being absolutely positive.” The reply was dry. Almost casual. Azriel wasn’t fooled in the least. There was anger, irritation and more than a little curiosity behind those words. Unless he was mistaken, which was rare, there was even a little bit of a threat. Not an outward challenge, just an underlying menace.
Normally Azriel would be offended. Not today. For one thing he knew far more about Pierre than he had known about any of his marks. Mostly he was just curious. However, being curious didn’t make him stupid. Casting a quick glance at the stairway leading to the bedroom, he quickly strode to his office, locking himself behind the soundproof door. Having a completely soundproof office was a little bit of overkill given he’d always existed alone. Now he was thankful for it. There were questions that needed to be answered, and he was finding that with anything to do with Michelene it was best he asked them.
“Have you been looking for your sister in order to kill her or have her harmed in any way?” Because really, that would mean life or death for this man. Michelene might trust Pierre Cadeau, but Azriel didn’t. He didn’t trust anyone but himself with her safety. “I hear that your mother is talking of Michelene taking her place one day. That has to upset you.”
“My sister is no threat to me. She doesn’t want anything to do with the family business. And even if she did, she would have no reason to fear me. My mother is a lying bitch.” Well, it seemed that Pierre wasn’t one to mince words. “I would never trust my mother with my sister’s safety.”
“Took a while to come to that conclusion, did it not?” It was fine to say that now, but where had this man been most of Michelene’s life? Azriel already knew she wanted nothing to do with what her mother and brother did for a living. Just like he knew part of Pierre’s failings. In his book, because her brother had failed to protect her, he was unfit. Period.
“Had I known I would’ve killed May myself,” Pierre spit out at him through the phone. “I should’ve been there. I wasn’t. I am rectifying that now. If Michelene wants to collect the debt she owes from me, I will be the last one to stop her.”
“And now?” Azriel pressed. “Is there a reason why your mother is still living?” Yeah, he knew he was pressing buttons most people didn’t like pressed, but he wasn’t one to go into any situation blind.
“May is Michelene’s to kill unless she tells me otherwise,” Pierre responded smoothly. “Had she succeeded in killing May the first time, my life would be infinitely easier, but you knew that already. If I thought for a second she was in danger with you I would have retrieved her by now. And yeah, I know where you are. My sister appears happy. I am content for now. But should that change, you and I might have a problem.”
Azriel had to smile at that. He had been very well aware several of the delivery boys who dropped off food from time to time were anything but delivery boys. Their eyes were a little too interested, taking in as much as they could in the brief time they were at the door.
“But it’s been a few days since you’ve been able to have one of your spies in our home.” Cause, yeah, once or twice he could understand to ease a brother’s worried mind. He’d read somewhere familial bonds were often strong and all that. But given what Azriel knew of their mother, there was no way he would allow it more than a few times. Did this man really believe he was dealing with some street thug?
“I expected nothing less.” Pierre chuckled. “But I had to at least
try
. You do understand that, right?”
Any more would probably be beating a dead horse, so Azriel swiftly changed subjects. While May Brown was admittedly a greater threat than this crazed stalker priest, Azriel needed to be prepared on all sides. That the priest was related to the drug lord was quite the coincidence, and Azriel didn’t believe in coincidences.
“I need to know everything there is to know about this Father Cruz,” Azriel told him. In order to eliminate the enemy, it was always wise to find out the most one could about him. Nothing he had researched about the Cruz Cartel ever mentioned a priest for a cousin. But then, why would it? “I will take care of Rico myself.”
The thought of Michelene being sold to Rico Cruz made his stomach turn. He would make sure the man was utterly destroyed just for having the balls to think he could purchase a woman like her. One day man might learn you couldn’t just buy the rare things in life. Some you had to work for; others were just destiny.
“Then you should know Michelene knew him as a child.”
Azriel didn’t like the way Pierre said that. “What do you mean
knew
him?” Yet another question that really needed to be asked. But he didn’t want to know the answer.
“He was our father’s
…
personal priest.
”
Pierre was leaving a lot unsaid. The hesitation in his voice, the underlying rage.
“
That is Michie
’
s story to tell. But I will find out where
’
s he been and what he
’
s been doing since then. If you want to know specifics about that time, ask Michie. If she doesn’t tell you, leave it alone.” Pierre was resolute, Azriel could tell.
Well, shit. Just when their relationship, such as it was, had stabilized a bit, he was going to have to piss her off. Azriel hated pissing Michelene off. In fact, he was pretty sure he hated Pierre right about now. He was going to have to tread very carefully around this subject. She had a tendency to shut down when he pushed too much about her childhood.
Because Michelene had spoken of her brother with nothing but affection, Azriel had decided to include him in his plans. God, it went against the grain to work with anyone else, especially someone with so many ties. Ties were messy. But with all she’d told him, he’d decided to trust the man with a few small tasks, like clearing out her apartment and finding out who had been following her. That had paid off, but that didn’t mean he trusted the man fully.
“Are you sure your mother doesn’t know anything about my whereabouts? She’s known to have ears everywhere.” That was a test. No, May Brown didn’t have a clue where her daughter was. Though Azriel kept his circles small and tight, he wasn’t without resources of his own. The entire time he had “entrusted” Pierre with a few small tasks, he had eyes and ears on everything the man did. And on Madam Brown.
“I am positive,” Pierre stated. “But I am sure your spies told you that.”
Good man. Maybe they’d get along after all. As long as it wasn’t too close. “We will need to meet to finalize our plans. I will get back to you with a time and place.”
With that Azriel ended the call and began composing a detailed list of competitors and allies of the Cruz Cartel. There was no doubt in his mind Cruz was assisting his cousin in some way. Whether it was to get back at him for refusing the contract or taking the woman he’d thought to have as his own was of no consequence. Cruz would never be good enough for Michelene and assisting in a petty turf war was something Azriel just didn’t do. It was messy and came with repercussions, always biting you in the ass on the back end. It was ironic, though, that the very person Cruz had wanted to have killed was none other than Madam May Brown. He idly wondered if she had a clue her main source in Columbia wanted her dead.
Cruz’s friends and associates would soon know. The drug lord had done the one thing that would surely be the end of him—he had pissed Azriel off. The emotionless killing machine now had a very real stake in seeing the man’s empire crumble to nothingness. The beauty of it was, Azriel wouldn’t be the one to destroy him. Cruz had done that himself. All Azriel had to do was set a chain of events in motion and it was over for Cruz. There were more than a few Colombian politicians more than happy with Azriel’s past service, more than one U.S. federal agent looking to make their bones, and there were always other cartels looking to make inroads.
There would be a bloodbath in the end, and bloodbaths were what Azriel did the best
.
“Tell me about Father Emmanuel.”
Michelene froze, the glass of wine she’d been about to drink from suspended in midair. She could feel the tension in the delicate crystal wineglass she held, but it was so hard to loosen her grip. Suddenly she felt cold, exposed in a room full of elegant strangers. The opportunity for a night out seemed like a dream come true after weeks closed off in Azriel’s apartment. Now she just wanted to go back, jump under the covers and hide. Maybe if she hid long enough the question would just fade away. She didn’t want to even think about the answer. Or maybe she could make a run for it, haul ass out of the restaurant and never look back.
Looking at Azriel was a mistake. He was as he always was. On the surface, calm, collected, waiting. Underneath she could see a swirl of emotions through the windows of his eyes. He was seething; she should have seen that before now. She’d been so caught up in the excitement of going out, she hadn’t sensed his underlying mood. There was no way that much anger hadn’t been there before now. Although she knew full well he wasn’t mad at her, she hated seeing that rage. She knew the cause, and that made it awful. Worse than awful.
“You know
…
”
Setting the glass down, she tried a bright smile. One she knew she failed at miserably, but she couldn’t fake casual indifference right now. But she could fake being happy like nobody’s business. A trait she’d picked up so very long ago. “
…
the play tonight was a first for me.
”
Not for a second did she believe Azriel would allow her to get away with deflecting. It was merely to give herself some time. The last thing she’d ever intended to do was to tell him about this part of her life. The things her mother had done were one thing. Not only were those memories too fresh, but she had been able to exact some sort of vengeance for that. And she would eventually be able to collect the ultimate retribution. The earlier stuff
…
It was just too pathetic. Nothing could change it; there would be no revenge for it. She neither wanted nor needed that kind of pity from him. And he would pity her. She had seen it in Pierre’s eyes every time he looked at her. She didn’t want to look at Azriel and see the same.
“I’m aware of this.” Azriel looked patient. His tone sounded patient. But she knew he was anything but. It was all in those silvery eyes narrowed into slits as well as the tic. Generally she loved seeing it. Not so much right now. “Tell me what I want to know, Michelene.”
Squirming in her seat, she looked around at all the the people sitting so comfortably, engaged in quiet conversations. How oblivious they all appeared to be, completely unaware of the very real ugliness outside their beautiful world. Were any of them secretly listening in? Had any of them spotted the imposters in their midst? Because this world, the one where people wore fancy, sparkling clothes to a restaurant that didn’t include prices on the menu, ignored the world she and Azriel hailed from. They denied the existence of those less fortunate or deperate and pretended lives like hers only happened in movies. She thought she could pretend to be one of them, just for tonight, then he had to go and bring up the worst time of her life.
“I can’t.” Looking anywhere but at him, she fought back hot tears she never allowed herself to shed. Shame surrounded her like a shroud, cutting off the air. God, how she hated this weakness. “Not here.”
There was no reply. It was one of those rare times when she had no idea what to expect from him. The silence stretched for what seemed like forever. Tension wound her body up so tight she was afraid she would snap. Finally she had no choice but to look up at him, which was what he was waiting for.
He knew. She knew he knew. Yet there was no pity there to be seen. Just a softness that damn near broke her.
“Eat your food. You’re going to need your strength.”
Damn.
***
She was afraid to tell him. That pissed him off, even if he could logically understand her fear. It was just that, damn it, she should know better by now. She should know him. Granted they had only known one another for a little over a month, but in that time they’d shared more than most couples do in a lifetime. Azriel had let her in—something he’d never done with anyone else. From the start there had always been this connection between them, something
…
different. This was no boy-meet-girl bullshit. The bond was as immediate as it was unbreakable. Nothing, no one would ever keep them apart. Hadn
’
t he admitted she felt his presence long before he
’
d made himself known? Why couldn
’
t she feel him now?
The reason he was pushing her now was because she really needed to let this out. Over the years she had placed the distant past in some dark corner of her soul, thinking herself safe from it. Because danger was always present, she had been able to push it away; there had always been too much at hand to deal with. But bits and pieces were bound to leak out over time, and when they did, they would slowly poison her. He’d seen it happen repeatedly to otherwise stable people. It was something he would not and could not allow. All of her belonged to him; therefore all of her was in his care. He would do anything and everything within his power and beyond to ensure her complete well being. That mean being more than a shield against her enemies. He had to shield her against herself too.
Watching while she played with her food was hellish. The demons that haunted her lurked behind every false smile she threw his way. Enduring it was all he could do. There’d been times where he’d cased a mark for weeks, waiting for an opportunity to get close and never felt this kind of agitation. Crawling out of his own skin would be easier than this. Finally, she managed to choke down at least half of what had been on her plate. Great.
By the time he was able to hustle her out of the restaurant and into the waiting car he was at the very end of his patience. Concentrating on the dark streets outside the car window, he had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself in check. Thank God he had thought to get a driver. He might’ve broken the land-speed record getting her home.
“Take off your clothes,” he ordered as soon as he hustled her inside the apartment. A plan had come to mind on the way here. It was the only thing he could think of to make sure she didn’t try to hide from him. Nude, she seemed far freer, more open. Besides, it was symbolic, a way to symbolize nothing was to be kept from him.
Leaving her where she stood he went about checking security and setting the specialized alarms he’d had installed. He heard rather than saw her move toward the staircase, obviously heading up to the bedroom.
“No.” He stopped her cold. “Here. You will undress here. Now.”
He didn’t watch. He couldn’t just yet. He already knew there was indecision stamped all over her face as she debated whether or not to obey him. The little imp knew how to push him, twist him up in knots before turning him inside out in a way that only a fully grown woman could. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t see the vulnerable little girl inside her. Frankly, he didn’t know if he was strong enough to handle watching that part of her right now. It was going to take a few seconds for him to steel himself and his resolve.
Sitting down in a large leather armchair, he trained his gaze to the windows for a few moments before looking back to her. Standing in only her lingerie, Michelene looked at him as if he were the big bad wolf, her dress and shoes in a little pile by her feet. At least she wasn’t trying to cover herself. Biting her bottom lip, she just stood there fidgeting. He almost had to smile at that.
“Are you unclear about what I told you to do?” Raising his brow, he placed his arms on the chair, his hands digging into the leather. God damn, he just wanted to gather her in his arms and kiss all that insecurity away. But he couldn’t do that.
“Why do I have to be naked to have a conversation?” Ahhh, there was his little brat. Chin raised, she was all defiance and sass. The sadness was still there, and the guilt. Guilt that wasn’t hers to carry.
Which was why he had to go through with this.
“There isn’t going to be a conversation.” He kept his tone neutral. He would brook no argument in this. You will tell me what I want to know—what I need to know.”
“I don’t
need
to be nude to speak.” Gaining confidence, her hands went to her hips, glossy lips all pouty and kissable. It was enchanting, but it wasn’t changing his mind. “And you don’t
need
to know about
…
about my childhood.
”
This could go on forever unless he put a stop to it.
“Come here, Michelene.” Gone were any traces of amusement he might’ve shown previously, because all amusement was gone. He was done arguing. Still, it was more than a little gratifying to see her do as she was told.
As soon as she was in grabbing distance, he had her over his knees, the palm of his hand crashing down on the cheeks of her ample, supple ass. No,
his
ample, supple ass. Fuck, did this feel good. Spanking her was just a way to show her he was serious about her well being, that he would accept no argument when he was doing something that could only help her. Plus, it felt really fucking good! Damned if her hips didn’t rise to meet his swings. There were no loud cries or protestations. Just low moans that made his cock jerk, throbbing to be inside her. Too bad it was going to have to wait.
“Up.” He helped her as he ordered her. Her legs were just a little bit on the shaky side.
There were tears streaming down her cheeks, but he knew he hadn’t really hurt her. He could never do that. Just a sting of pain was all she needed.
“Clothes. Off.” This time she didn’t hesitate. Bra and panties were off in a heartbeat. “Good girl.”
The tentative smile on her lips almost made him reconsider. But not quite.
“Kneel beside me and tell what I want to know.”
He didn’t have to ask again.