They aren’t getting Capri.
My temper rose and I clenched my fist. “Over my dead body will they harm my girl.”
As my gaze swept around the table and I noticed all the guys’ smiles, I got my back up. “What the fuck is everyone smiling about? This shit isn’t funny.”
“Man, we know it isn’t funny,” my brother-in-law Bodie, said. “It’s just good to see that Capri has you wrapped around her finger and both of you are happy together.”
I grunted. How could I argue with that when he was spot on?
“Fine, if you like that we are so happy then help me figure out what to do because I can’t lose her.”
All the guy’s smiles died on their faces and were filled with worry now. And we all had a right to be.
“Not only are these guys seriously bad news but they have dirty cops in the mix.” That was some seriously fucked up shit and pissed me the hell off. But not as much as Lyric who growled low and menacing.
“I may not be a cop anymore, but if I get my hands on the motherfuckers that are involved I swear they will wish they picked a career as magicians because I will bury them alive and they will need some serious magic to ever breathe again.”
I was damn glad the guy was on my side.
Even though I knew the answer I asked what was on my mind. “They want their money and think she has it, don’t they?”
“That would be my guess,” Gyth answered, chiming in. “And this group is bad fucking news. They don’t just dabble in drugs, they are the biggest drug ring in that area of Chicago.”
I rolled my neck to free the tension but Gyth wasn’t finished and my body locked tight with his next words.
“But that isn’t all they do. They have their hands in weapons, gambling rings, and…” Gyth swallowed before finishing and I knew the last was going to be bad but prayed it wasn’t what I thought. “Prostitution and human trafficking.”
I jumped from my chair, sending it flying backward and crashing to the ground. Right that second, I needed to get to Capri and hold her. Make sure she was okay, even though I knew she was with a couple of the ladies working out and all the doors were locked, the security system armed.
“I’ve got to go,” I told the guys as I started for the door.
Braxton cut me off and I almost told him to get out of my way, but then I forced myself to calm down. These guys were here to help.
Clapping his hand on my shoulder, he said, “We got your back and Capri’s. Every one of us has been in a situation that scared the shit out of us when it came to our woman, but you’re not alone. We will figure this out together and all of us will be there to keep her safe.”
I knew that was true but also knew from experience we couldn’t always stop the evil in the world.
“Thanks, guys,” I said, looking at Braxton and then turning to nod at the others.
Then I walked out the door to find the one person in my life I didn’t think I could live without.
* * *
“Areyou going to tell me what the guys said at the meeting?”
Capri had asked me the same question in the car but I needed to be home before I could talk to her about it so that after, I could pull her into my embrace for the rest of the evening and not let go.
We grabbed food on the way home, ate, showered and got into bed. Our routine was so easy and comfortable, it felt as if we’d been doing the same thing for years.
What our routine hadn’t included was sex. It had been a month since the party at Braxton and Jurnee’s house where Capri had commented on seeing me naked and I put her off. I’d been truthful about not going any farther when she’d been drinking, but what I hadn’t said was that even though I craved being in her body and taking her for the first time, I was so fulfilled by just being in her presence.
Capri filled each day to the brim and warmed my world better than a hot cup of coffee. Waking up to her and seeing her beautiful smile every morning was the only jolt I needed to start my day.
I’d been taking it slow, getting to know her, and I wanted her to realize when we came together it meant something real.
She hadn’t talked about seeing me in the buff again. Capri had woken up the morning after the party and it was clear she was remembering what she said. She was embarrassed and I didn’t tease her about it. We just went about our days and before I knew it that month had flown by.
The bed moved and Capri lifted her head off my chest, one of her favorite places to lay, and sat up facing me, dragging me from my thoughts.
