Theo
Leaning on the wall with my arms crossed tightly over my chest, I scowled as I watched Illya swish her hips with an ease that came with practice.Well, of course, she had practice. She was a stripper and this wasn’t some dumpy club accepting anything with an ass and tits.The smooth lines of her long, lean body glistened under the lights as they switched from blue to purple to pink to green and back again.
Taking a shallow breath through my mouth, my lips thinned at the pungent stench of alcohol even as my brain wafted through it. Illya dipped, balancing on her heels with her knees out, and I clenched my jaw as I watched her ass jiggle. My palms itched to grab her and see if those globes were as tight as they looked.
My guess was, yeah, they definitely were.
Under the intense sharpness of tequila, the smell that curled tantalizingly up from her hair fogged my mind. It must’ve been a strong scent because the booze was so thick here that it dripped down the walls. Reaching to rub my jaw roughly with my left hand, I tapped my bicep with what was left of my right hand.
“Theo.” Grunting without tearing my eyes off Illya, I ran my hand through my hair— the hand with all five fingers, because what’s a comb without bristles? “What would you do in my situation, huh?”
“I’d kill her, honestly.” My eyes narrowed into slits when Illya paused, losing her composure, and I cocked my head absently at the slightly frozen part of her face, right around her mouth. “There’s no way this turns out good for you, Mateo.”
“Yeah, I just don’t want to jump the gun.” At that, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes, and I shot Mateo a hard glare as he flopped his head back against that nasty-ass sofa. My chest tightened in sympathy at how hard this was for him, but . . . come the fuck on, man. This wasn’t rocket science. “Don’t you think it’d be worth it? To beat the odds?”
“I think it’s unnecessary. Beating the odds is one thing, Mateo, but you’re wishing for something that’s not going to happen. If you find her, she’ll have to detox and all that shit. Do you really wanna watch that?” At some point, my eyes drifted back to Illya. She was much better to look at than Mateo, anyway. Granted, Mateo had that pretty boy, Spanish features, silky accent thing going on. Shaking my head viciously, I exhaled a hot breath as fire licked up my spine and down my legs. “Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re as important to that drugged up slut than she is to you. You fucked twice, it was a mistake, all that bullshit.”
“Yeah, I’m still gonna try, though.” Mateo was in love, and I guffawed when he just ignored me. Only, he wasn’t in love with that bitch Sylvie, who was desperate to lower her debt and starting to slide back into bad habits well over two months ago.
No, he was in love with the thing inside her that he’d so carelessly let happen. Truthfully, I felt kinda bad for Mateo because there was no way that this scenario would play out with a happy ending.Not that talking sense to him is going to do any good. He’s dead set on trying to have this baby.
“Since Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumbfuck can’t do their jobs, I want you to find her, Theo.” Grinding my teeth, I only jerked my head in a nod, and Mateo glanced over at Johnny with disgust on his face. “Get out. I’ll deal with you later.”
Johnny shuffled up with his busted face and dejected, slumping shoulders, and I frowned under furrowed brows. The guy was already on thin ice after fucking up with his last job, and I shuffled out of the way to let him out. My gaze swung past Illya to Cris, Johnny’s much younger, junior kinda partner, who was staring at the stripper’s ass so hard it was almost comical.
“Tell me exactly what you two did looking for her, Cris.” Obviously, no one had tried too hard to find this chick, and I wasn’t sure why. Mateo hadn’t been subtle about what would happen if she couldn’t be smoked out of her hole in the ground. Cris cleared his throat, sitting up a little straighter, and I tuned out the conversation to turn my attention back to Illya.
She was pretty, with her deep, dark blue hair and vivid, eyes so green they were probably fake. I scanned Illya’s muscular legs, outlined in tight stockings, and a throb rippled across my abdomen to stiffen my cock. Mateo dragged my ass out here because he “needed a change of scenery,” and I had to say I wasn’t as disgruntled about it now as I was on the way.
“You didn’t even talk to her roommate!” My body sprung into action before I even consciously registered Mateo, screaming at this kid who was no older than nineteen. Jumping forward as he, once again, shoved Illya, I just grabbed her without thinking to push her behind me. My boss advanced on Cris, as if he wanted to beat his face, but stopped himself when he realized that it wasn’t Cris’ fault.
Cris was a hardworking kid, and my gaze flickered between him and Mateo as the other stripper rushed to huddle behind me. Swiping his hand through his jet black hair, Mateo rolled his shoulders and huffed as Cris tried to get eaten by the sofa cushions.
“Did you even bother with going to her apartment?” Mateo tugged his button-down shirt and cleared his throat, but the tension only mounted in his back when Cris shook his head with uncertainty.
“Johnny thought she wouldn’t be there, so there was no point in going. I told him to check her job, then, but we started checking crack houses instead. He told me that she wouldn’t be stupid enough to go home or to work.” Long, thin fingers hugged my arm, and I glanced down as Illya peeked out from over my shoulder. So close, even behind green lenses, I could see how curious she was, and a frown dragged down my mouth. My muscles gorged on apprehension and adrenaline, and my cock ached as I fought the need to grab her hand and . . .
“Theo.” Swinging to Mateo, my gaze narrowed into tight points, and Illya tensed against me. Clenching my jaw hard when she pressed her body into my back, I exhaled hotly through flared nostrils as my boss shot me a nasty look. “You’re on top of this now. Asking Johnny was a mistake. Do whatever you need to do to find this bitch.”
“Yeah, whatever.” I’d get the job done. I’d worked for Mateo for almost three years now, and had never failed him a single damn time. We were mutually beneficial to each other because I wasn’t in this for advancement or money or infamy, and he didn’t want to deal with the politics of someone trying to climb the ladder.
“I’ve scared them again.” Mateo rubbed the back of his neck almost sheepishly, and a headache sprung behind my eyeballs at how quick he flew between rage and normalcy. “I think it’s about time I left and gave you girls some peace.”
“It’s okay.” Illya wasn’t the one that spoke up, and I reached around with my mangled hand to keep her still. The other stripper stepped out from behind me with an understanding smile puffing out her cheeks, but I didn’t trust Mateo as far as I could throw him.
And that was pretty far, a good thirty feet, at least. Mateo was a fucking lanky shrimp, after all.
“It’s honestly, perfectly fine. We don’t get a lot of excitement, just a lot of creeps. I meant to ask you, do you box or anything? Those were really good punches.” My eyelid twitched as the brunette tried to keep the party going, and Illya groaned softly in annoyance. The soft noise rolled up my spine and dug violently between my shoulder blades, and I squeezed her arm weakly. Mateo grinned, his face practically lighting up like a Christmas tree, and the hairs on the back of my neck flattened.
“Yeah, I do, actually.” He sounded so damn happy that someone noticed his expert punches, and I snorted incredulously. The tightness in my chest eased, and I unhooked my pinky and pointer finger from around Illya’s arm. She sorta hung back, reading the atmosphere, and I tilted my head to watch her rub where I’d grabbed her gingerly.
Fake, green eyes flickered to mine, and my own narrowed into tight points as Illya flushed in the face. My cock ached fiercely, and I reached to adjust myself in my jeans. Her cheeks fired red, although my action did nothing to relieve the almost painful prickling in my thighs and abdomen. For a long moment, I watched her get redder and redder with a pleasant, burning satisfaction bubbling up in my chest until she rushed to sit on the sofa.
“So, doyouhave any special skills, darling?” Mateo broke my daze as he pulled the other stripper into his lap, and I inhaled sharply with a shake of my head. Repositioning myself by the door, I crossed my arms— an ever-vigilant statue ready to catch bullets— but . . .
I couldn’t keep my eyes or attention off Illya. Mateo could be getting shot at— at this moment, and I wouldn’t care.Which is worrying, but there’s something about her.
