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  “We’ve arranged for you to stay out of sight until everything has been settled. We’re going to drop you off at our niece’s house, where your ex will not find you, nor will the police,” Uncle Thomas says, finally speaking from behind James. “They’re more than happy to give you a comfortable place to stay and keep you safe as long as needed.”

  “Lily’s?” I ask Uncle Thomas, to which I get a quick nod.

  He scoots forward, reaching into his back pocket and fishing out a small flip phone. “Here’s a burner phone. I’ll need your cell phone so you’re not tracked, but I’ll return it once everything is settled.”

  “There’s my phone,” she says, moving her chin toward the small chunk of metal next to James on the coffee table. “I turned it off already.”

  “Most likely, they aren’t tracking you. Resources are limited, and in the grand scheme of crimes and criminals, you’re a small fish in a very big pond. But we’ll take every precaution to make sure you stay missing for a few more days.” James reaches forward and places the flip phone down before grabbing her phone. “The guys at the compound already removed your car’s GPS and have stowed it away and out of sight. We’re going to do everything in our power to keep you hidden, and all we ask in return is for you to stay put and not do anything to draw attention to yourself. Can you do that?”

  She nods slowly. “I’ll do whatever you tell me to, sir.”

  “Good,” James replies, standing. “Thomas and I will take you to Lily and Jett’s house on our way home. Hopefully by tomorrow night, this will all be a bad memory.”

  I stand too, finding myself wrapping my arms around my uncle’s middle. “Thanks, Uncle.”

  He does the same, kissing the top of my head. “I love you, kid,” he says, making me feel like a little girl again.

  “Luckiest girl ever,” I whisper as I smash my face into his chest, giving him one final squeeze.

  “I’m feeling a little left out and slighted here, Tam,” Uncle Thomas says, standing on the other side of the coffee table.

  I laugh as I pull away from Uncle James, and he rolls his eyes. “He’s always a whiny baby,” Uncle James mutters.

  My ass is around the table, hugging Uncle Thomas, a second later. “You’re the best uncle a girl could ask for,” I tell him, heaping praise on him too.

  For as badass as Gallo men are, they do need their egos stroked every once in a while, just like every man on the planet. I learned that from an early age, my mother and aunts filling me in on the realities of male fragility and ego.

  “You about done?” James asks Thomas as he gives me a last giant hug, making my feet come off the floor. “We got important shit to do, brother.”

  “Ma, I’ll walk you out and grab your bag out of Tamara’s car.”

  “Okay,” Jessica whispers. “Whatever you want, honey.”

  “Don’t worry. Promise me you won’t worry or do something foolish?” he asks his mom, holding her by the shoulders and peering down at her.

  “I won’t do anything foolish.”

  He smiles. “Good. Lily is the sweetest human being I’ve ever met. You’re a lot like her, and I have no doubt she’ll make you feel welcome in her home.”

  “I just always hate to be a bother.”

  “You’re not bothering anyone, Ma.”

  “Jessica,” I say, but her face crinkles, and I instantly regret calling her by her first name and quickly correct myself. “Ma, Lily’s been working on her vision board for her baby’s nursery. Maybe you can help her tomorrow to keep your mind occupied.”

  “A vision board?” Jessica asks, looking confused.

  I shrug. “I guess it’s the thing to do.”

  “I’ll never understand women today,” Thomas says as I move out from under his arm. “Back in my day, we’d just grab a can of paint, splash it on the walls, get a crib, and call it a day.”

  “You know Lily has to do everything big. She won’t be content with some paint,” James tells him, and he’s speaking the truth.

  “Anyway,” I say, waving them off. “They have a lovely home on the ocean. If nothing else, you can watch the waves crash on the beach when Lily becomes a little overwhelming.”

  Jessica smiles genuinely for the first time since we left the compound. “I could get lost in baby land for a little while. It’ll help me prepare for my own grandchildren someday.”

  My stomach drops. She’s talking about me birthing those very same grandchildren, and I don’t have the heart to tell her it’s going to be a while. I’m not ready to have my body double in size, my stomach to be covered in stretch marks, and give up hours upon hours of sleep. On top of that, Mammoth and I need more time together and to get our lives in order before we can bring another life into this world.

  “Ma,” Mammoth says, warning her, maybe feeling my apprehension. “We still have a few years.”

  A few years? I was thinking more like a decade, but I’m not sharing that timeline with anyone. I’m pretty sure if Mammoth had his way, I’d already have a tiny human growing inside me.

  “Yeah. A few years,” I mumble in agreement.

  Uncle James laughs, and so does Thomas, getting the evil eye from me.

  “We ready?” Uncle Thomas asks after I give them both a heartfelt glare.

  Mammoth grabs me by the waist, kissing my forehead. “I’ll be right back,” he tells me, and I nod as he pulls away. “Come on, Ma. Let’s get you settled. It’s been a long day.” He reaches out to her with his bad arm and instantly winces.

  “What’s wrong?” she asks immediately.

  “Nothing. Just pulled a muscle.”

  He peers over at me, and my eyes widen. We never called his mom. He wouldn’t let us, and she’s in the dark that he was shot and is still recovering. I’m not going to be the one to drop the bombshell, but I need to make sure Lily and Jett don’t either.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, maybe?” Jessica asks me as her son and my uncles walk out of the apartment.

  “You will,” I tell her, doing whatever it takes to make her feel better about the entire situation.

  She smiles before following them out. I don’t waste any time taking my phone out of my pocket and dialing Lily.

  “Babe.”

  “Hey,” she says, her voice all cheery like always. “What’s up? Is Jessica on the way?”

  “They just left. They’ll be there in under twenty, but I need a huge favor.”

  “Whatever you want, Tam. You know me.”

  “You can’t tell her about Mammoth being shot.”

  There’s silence instead of a reply.

  “Lily, did you hear me?”

  “Ohhkay. I’ll do my best to not tell her, but you know how I am about secrets.”

  “Promise me you won’t tell her. Promise me you’ll do everything in that sweet little heart not to drop that truth nugget on her out of nowhere.”

  “I promise to do my best.”

  “Tell your baby daddy too. She can’t know. At least not now. She has enough stress on her plate, and I don’t want to add to it.”

  “I’ll tell Jett,” she says. “We won’t tell her. I promise to stay off the subject of last weekend.”

  “Talk to her about baby shit.”

  “Baby shit?” Lily asks.

  “Yeah. Have her help you with your vision board. She’d like that.”

  “Are you mocking me?”

  “Never,” I lie. “I’ll come over tomorrow to hang out too. I’ll bring lunch or something.”

  “That would be nice. You can help with the vision board too.”

  “Fun,” I mumble as Gigi peeks her head in the front door, looking around. “I’ve got to go. Gigi’s here.”

  “Hey, girl!” Lily yells like she’s on speakerphone, but she isn’t.

  “Love you,” I tell her.

  “You too,” she says before I disconnect the call.

  “They gone?” Gigi asks, stepping into the small foyer and closing the door behind her.
r />   “Just walked her out. They’re in the parking lot, but Mammoth will be back any minute.”

  I’d already called Gigi and filled her on everything before we left the compound. She told me she’d go to Pike’s and stay there for the weekend, but that wasn’t really anything new. She was always there, and our place mostly sat empty unless I was home on the weekends.

  “Everything go okay?”

  I nod. “You know how Uncle James and Thomas are. They handled it all well.”

  She nods back, smiling. “They’ve helped us out of more than a few sticky situations.”

  “When did life get so complicated?” I ask her.

  “Cock. It’s always a problem.”

  “No doubt.” I laugh.

  “Need anything before I head back next door?” She pitches her thumb toward the doorway.

  I shake my head. “We’re good. I’m exhausted and just want to crawl into bed.”

  She winks. “I’m sure you do.”

  I laugh, waving her off. “To sleep. I want to sleep.”

  She nods. “I’m pretty sure I’ll hear all the ‘sleeping’ going on over here from Pike’s bedroom.”

  “I hear you two too. You’re like cats in heat sometimes.”

  “We’re not that loud.”

  I stare at her and tap my foot, arms crossed, waiting for her to pull that bullshit lie back.

  “Whatever. You two aren’t quiet either. So…”

  “Maybe keep it down a little tonight. I really do plan on sleeping.”

  She throws up her hands. “Maybe we can borrow your ball gag tonight.”

  I give her two middle fingers.

  She laughs. “I’m out. Bye, babe.”

  “Bye, girl,” I tell her as she opens the door, finding Mammoth on the other side. “Hey, big guy.”

  “Gigi,” he replies, staring down as he towers over her. “You okay?”

  “Right as rain,” she tells him. “Just heading back to Pike’s.”

  “I don’t want to put you out. This is your place.”

  “Nah. I’m barely ever here. You two have fun tonight,” she says, winking at him too. “Don’t get too freaky. You still have a bum shoulder. Wouldn’t want you to rip out any staples or anything.”

  Mammoth smirks. “Night, Gigi,” he tells her, ignoring her other comments, which is probably for the best.

  “Night, big guy,” she says, waving at me before disappearing outside. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

  “What was that about?” he asks, motioning toward the door when Gigi leaves.

  I shrug. “She’s just being an idiot and thinks we’re going to bump uglies all night.”

  He scratches his chest, exposing his beautiful stomach and the killer tattoos. “I mean… We can do whatever you want.”

  “I’m really exhausted,” I say, stifling a yawn I’ve been holding in for the last hour. “Can I get a rain check for the morning?”

  “I’m ready for bed too, princess,” he tells me as he toes off his boots, placing them next to the door. “This has been the longest day of my life.”

  I walk up to him, wrapping my arms around his middle, placing my chin on his chest as I gaze up at him. “Are you okay, sparky?”

  His hands are on my back, holding my ass. “I am now,” he says, bending at the neck and taking my lips along with my exhaustion.

  15

  Mammoth

  Tamara’s standing over me, holding my phone way too close to my face. “What’s the number you keep ignoring?”

  I blink a few times, trying to focus on the screen. “Nothing important.”

  She raises an eyebrow, placing one hand on her hip. “Then, can I answer it?”

  “No.”

  She raises her hand, ready to press the button even though I told her not to.

  “It’s the physical therapy place,” I finally tell her because the woman can’t mind her own business to save her life.

  “Why aren’t you answering? You need to make an appointment.”

  “I don’t need an appointment. I don’t need therapy. My shoulder is already healing and feels better every day.” I lift my shoulder, moving it around, and avoid wincing even though there’s an awkward and searing pain shooting down my arm. “See.”

  She places the phone on the table and crawls into my lap, straddling my legs. “Why are men so hardheaded?”

  “I’m not being difficult. I know my body, princess. It’s nothing a little hard work and use won’t fix. I don’t need to go to a doctor’s office and do stretching exercises while paying them hundreds of dollars for shit I can fix on my own.”

  Tamara scoots closer, smashing her tits against my chest. “You’ve been good at hiding it from your mother, I’ll give you that. But I see you wince and pull back from the pain.”

  “There’s no reason to make her worry about something that’s in the past. I’m on the road to recovery, and she has enough on her plate right now. I don’t need to add to it.”

  She nods, dipping her face closer. “I won’t tell her. I also won’t force you to go to therapy, but if you don’t get better and get more use from your shoulder, promise me you’ll go to one appointment and get it checked out,” she begs.

  “I promise if it doesn’t heal in the next few weeks, I’ll call them and go in. I have to go to the surgeon next week to have them take the staples out.”

  Tamara grimaces. “Sounds like a great time.”

  “It’ll feel better to get them out. They’re constantly tugging and itching, baby. They bother me more than the wound itself.”

  My phone rings again, and Tamara turns her head to the side, looking at the screen. “It’s Thomas.”

  “Answer it,” I tell her, keeping my hands on her back, resting just above her ass.

  Tamara taps the screen and says, “Hey, Uncle.”

  “Tam, is Mammoth there?”

  “You’re on speaker, and we’re both here,” she tells him, staring at me. “Everything okay?”

  “I made some calls this morning,” he sighs. “It hasn’t been easy.”

  “Fuck,” I mutter, closing my eyes.

  “Don’t worry. We found enough skeletons in his closet that it won’t matter what people think of him. Give us the rest of the day, and everything should be cleared tomorrow. James and I are coming up with the best plan and taking the steps to carry it out as quickly as possible. Just sit tight and let us do what we do best.”

  Tamara smiles, wrapping her arms around my neck, resting her hands on the chair back behind me. “I can keep you busy,” she mouths, smirking.

  “Thanks, Thomas. I appreciate everything you two are doing to help my mom. I know you didn’t—”

  “Don’t say it. We’ve told you this before. Told Pike the same thing. You may not have been born into this family, but you’re still part of it. You’re one of us. I know if I needed you, you’d have my back in a heartbeat.”

  “Hell yeah, I would,” I tell him without hesitation or doubt. “Whatever you need, I’m there. Is there anything I can do to help right now? Anything at all?”

  “Nothing. We got this. Just make sure your mom stays low. Lily said she’d keep her busy and not let her out of the house, but you know how forceful Lily is when faced with confrontation.”

  “We’ll head over there in a bit,” Tamara tells him, “and make sure she stays out of sight, Uncle.”

  “Thanks, doll. I’ll call soon with an update,” he says. “Talk later.”

  “Bye.”

  “Thanks,” I say before he has a chance to end the call, but there’s no reply before my screen goes blank.

  “You wanna go now?” Tamara asks me, fingers dug into my hair, toying with the sensitive skin on the back of my neck.

  I curl my fingers, gripping her ass rougher. “Princess, there’s only one thing I want right now, and it’s sitting right in my lap.” I lean forward, pressing my lips against her neck.

  Tamara tips her head back, exposing her nec
k as she grinds against my cock. “Everything else can wait,” she whispers, yanking my hair forward and holding my lips against her skin.

  I lick the flesh near her ear, peppering her neck with kisses and making a trail to her cleavage. “I always miss your body when we’re apart,” I murmur.

  “Just my body?”

  “Not just your body. Everything about you. Your attitude. Your fierceness. Your warmth. Your love.”

  “That was sweet, sparky,” she says, inching her body even closer until there’s no space left between us. “But how about less talking and more licking?”

  I growl, sinking my teeth into her soft skin, causing her to squeak. “You want it rough, princess, or you want me to love you softly?”

  She tips her head forward, bringing her lips near mine. “Hard. I want it hard,” she says, sliding her hand between her legs and groping my cock. “Really hard.”

  “Hard,” I repeat, my voice almost cracking because she already has my cock straining for relief.

  Tamara’s fingers work the button and zipper of my jeans, showing me just how hungry she is. I stand, hands under her ass, carrying her out of the small kitchen to the couch. I set her down and straighten, pulling my T-shirt over my head and tossing it to the floor.

  She watches, eyes blazing with fire, licking her lips. “The pants too,” she whispers, gaze dipping toward my undone jeans.

  As I push my jeans down, Tamara lifts her ass, slipping out of her tiny shorts before lifting her tank top over her head and tossing her clothes to the floor next to mine.

  I stand there naked, cock at full attention, soaking her in as she lies back on the couch, legs spread, looking like a sex goddess. “Put your mouth on me again,” she says, sliding her hand between her legs, teasing me. “I want to taste myself on your lips when you kiss me.”

  Fuck. She’s absolutely perfect. I drop to my knees, lifting her leg and placing it over my good shoulder before bringing my mouth to her pussy and feasting like a starving man. My lips are covering her, face buried, when the front door opens and there’s a familiar shriek.