Arranged love

CROSS

I PACE MY office back and forth with my cell in my hand. I should call her. But I’m not sure what I would say at this point.

Sorry? Somehow that just doesn’t seem like enough. I’ve had some time to think about last night, and she wasn’t wrong. I just didn’t want to admit that.

I hate how much she’s on my mind. She was supposed to be a fuck, but she consumes me. Why did I allow it to get to this? And how do I stop it?

“You busy?” Titan asks, entering my office.

“What do you want?” I ask, flipping my Zippo open and closed.

“Still pissy, I see?” He laughs softly.

I roll my eyes and turn my back to him.

“Just thought I’d let you know that I just got off the phone with Bones.”

“And?” I spin back around to face him. “What did he say?”

“The girls took the deal.”

I knew Alexa would. It was too good to pass up. I’m happy for her. Nodding, I tell him, “Thanks.”

“How long are you going to beat yourself up over this?” he asks, plopping down in the seat across from my desk.

I ignore that question and ask my own. “Why are you avoiding going home?” It’s almost midnight. He hasn’t stayed this late in a while.

“I’m not avoiding anything. Emilee is over at Haven and Luca’s right now.” He checks his watch. “I’m picking her up in an hour.”

I nod and fall into my seat behind my desk. “Have you heard from Grave?”

“No.”

I place my elbows on my desk and run my hands through my dark hair, releasing a sigh. “I haven’t either.”

“He’ll let us know if he needs anything,” he states, standing to walk toward my door.

“Thanks,” I say, making him stop.

He places his hand on the knob and turns to face me. “Just thought you’d like to know. Since she’s not talking to you right now.”

My jaw tightens. Getting in a fight with your girl in front of your friends is never good. “It’s complicated,” I say.

He snorts. “Been there. Good luck figuring it out.” Then he turns and leaves.

I sit back and let out a sigh. This is why I fuck and move on. To avoid this bullshit.

ALEXA

I SIT ACROSS from Bones and Jasmine in his private jet. My mind is going a hundred miles an hour trying to figure out everything that needs to be done once we get back.

“Here you go, sir. Ladies.” His flight attendant stops beside us with a bucket full of ice and champagne.

“Thanks, Nicki,” he says, reaching over and grabbing it. He pops the cork and pours it into three flutes, then hands us each our own. “To you, ladies, and your success.” He lifts his glass.

“Thank you,” I say, smiling up at him. “For helping us out.”

“I don’t believe a person should have a set of balls in order to do what they want,” he states.

I like Bones. The guy has this air about him that totally screams don’t fuck with me. But he also just signed away his life to a two-million-dollar contract to help me and Jasmine start our own business.

“To the three of us and our future.” I lift my glass.

We both look over at Jasmine. She stares down at her champagne; it bubbles in the flute. Her green eyes are intense on the drink, and I wonder if she thinks we’ve made a mistake. If she has doubts about going into business with me.

“Depend on a man to feed you, and you give him the power to starve you.” She looks up at me. A slow and devious smile spreads across her face. “Here’s to us-two women who are going to feed our-fucking-selves.” She throws back her drink, and Bones laughs.

I drink my champagne in one gulp and know what I just did was the right thing for me. For her. For the three of us.

Things are about to change, and I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of it.

Bones cell rings, and he gets up to move to the back of the plane to answer it. Jasmine looks out her window at the dark sky, and I pull my cell out. Hovering over Cross’s number, I think about texting him, but I’m not sure what I’d say at this point. Plus, I’ve never been a coward. I’d rather talk to him face-to-face.

I go to pocket my phone when it beeps. I look back down at it to see it’s a message from Mitch. I don’t even open it. Turning it off, I lean back and close my eyes to get some sleep on our flight home.

CROSS

ON MONDAY MORNING, Titan, Bones, and I are sitting in the conference room when the door opens. We all get to our feet when Grave walks in. He messaged us an hour ago wanting a meeting this morning, and it’s the first time he’s ever done that.

“Grave …”

He holds up his hand to stop Bones. “I’m not staying.” Running his hand through his hair, he swallows nervously. “I just wanted to tell you all that I’m taking some time off.”

“Of course,” Titan acknowledges him first.

“Whatever you need,” I add.

“Good.” Bones nods once.

“I … uh, April and I are going to get away. After the baby …” He pauses, collecting himself with a deep breath. “We need some time away. Together.”

“You don’t need to explain yourself, Grave,” I tell him.

He places his hand in the pockets of his holey jeans and averts his eyes. “It’ll only be a week. Maybe two at the most.”

“Take as long as you need.” Bones goes to step toward him, but Grave steps back, moving to the glass double doors, and Bones stops.

“I need to grab a few things from my office.” Grave turns and leaves.

Bones rushes after him. I plop down in my seat and run a hand down my face. Leaning back, I stare up at the white ceiling, trying to get my head on straight. I’m not in the game. Between Grave, April, the baby, her brother, and then Alexa, I’m totally fucked. I’m not sleeping at night, which isn’t unusual, but it’s worse than normal.

Titan leans forward, placing his elbows on the table, and runs his hand through his hair when Bones returns. He slams the glass door shut, surprised when it doesn’t break. “Fuck!” he hisses.

“He’s not going to talk to you,” Titan states.

“Nothing new. He never has before,” Bones hisses.

Titan stands, straightening his shoulders, and turns to face Bones. “You may be able to lie to yourself, but not us. This time is different whether you want to believe that or not.” Then he too exits the conference room, stomping off to his office. Fuck, it’s going to be a long day.

I hang my head when I hear Bones throw the coffee pot, and it shatters against the wall.

“Sir?”

“What?” Bones shouts at Nigel as he enters the conference room.

Nigel is unfazed by our outbursts by now. He’s seen us at our worst. Placing his hands behind his back, he rocks back and forth on his heels. “Luca is down in the meat locker, sir. And he has brought a visitor.”

Bones’s eyes go from Nigel to mine. I stand, nodding my head. This is what I need-what we all need. To bury our heads in work. Get our hands bloody.

“We’ll be right there,” Bones tells him.

He turns and exits the room, to go get Titan, and I stand from my chair, pocketing my Zippo. The three of us step onto our private elevator and head down to the basement. Walking off the elevator, we make our way down the hallway to the metal door. Bones opens it, and we enter to find Luca Bianchi at the head of the room dressed in his black three-piece suit with his arms crossed over his chest. His adopted brother, Oliver Nite-Bianchi, stands behind the man tied to the metal chair in the center of the room.

“Didn’t know you made deliveries, Luca,” I say, letting the door close and lock behind me.

“Well, I just couldn’t pass this up,” he jokes.

“What is it that you found?” Bones asks.

Luca reaches into the pocket of his suit jacket and pulls out a handful of something. Then he drops them onto the table. Bones walks over to them and picks one up.

It’s a diamond! “Where was he?” I ask.

“Glass.” The strip club that Luca and Bones own together. “He owed one of my girls three grand, and when he couldn’t pay in cash, he offered her one of these.”

“Where did you get this?” Bones asks him, handing me one of the diamonds. It’s one we’re looking for. The special order was for black diamonds. They’re not as rare as red ones, but still hard to find.

The guy remains silent.

“Did you purchase them or steal them?” I wonder. We’re not sure if Kale fucked over our client or not. We just know our client is pissed and wants what he paid for. You can’t ensure a transaction that is illegal in the first place. So, he’s out ten million.C0ntent © 2024 (N/ô)velDrama.Org.

“Fuck you.” The man sneers at me.

I hand the diamond over to Titan. “How many did he have on him?” I ask Luca.

“Six,” he answers.

Bones sighs. “The order was for twelve.” Then he asks the man, “Is this all you have?”

“Fuck you!” He shouts this time.

“Here, make sure these are returned,” Titan tells Luca, handing them to him.

“Maybe he swallowed them,” I offer. People will do stupid shit to hide what they want no one else to have.

Bones smiles. “Let’s find out.”

Nite produces a pocketknife from the inside of his leather jacket and hands it over to Bones, who cuts the ropes tying the man to the chair.

I walk over and yank it from it, throwing his back onto the table. I pin his legs down while Titan holds his shoulders down. Luca comes over and rips the guy’s shirt open, exposing his hairy chest.

The guy begins to scream, and Luca slaps his hand over his mouth to quiet him. Not because we don’t want anyone hearing him-the room is soundproof-but because we don’t want to have to listen to him. Like the others, he has made his choice.

Bones pushes the blade into his flesh right below his sternum, cutting the skin and dragging it downward. The guy’s muffled screams turn to outright sobbing while blood pours out and onto the table as we play operation on him, knowing we’ll be burying a body later.