Page 1 of Fiercely Protective

Chapter One

Rogue

There was a numbing, almost disorienting feeling of monotony sinking into my bones. It was making me both restless and irritable. My world was seldom tedious, but lately, nothing seemed to stir my blood, nothing excited me, challenged me. The loud music, the flashing bright lights, and buzz of the crowd were beginning to have an anesthetizing effect on me. My life was becoming boring and predictable. Everything around me seemed dull and nothing had motivated me for some time. As I sat alone in my private booth at the nightclub I co-owned with my friend and mafia don, Alessio Messina, the familiarity of the scene made me weary. While I enjoyed having a hand in my many business dealings and showing my face at the club tended to make things run smoother, there was a part of me that wasn’t satisfied. I craved more. But what? I felt a deep embedded longing inside me to seek out and immerse myself in sin. Did I long for more wickedness, more of an adrenaline rush, or was it the hunger for danger that drove me?

It had been much too long since I had been tested, and even longer since I had relished in seeing fear in the eyes of those who were foolish enough to oppose me, and when the occasion called for it, I couldn’t deny the feeling of euphoria that accompanied bringing death to those reckless enough to cross me. Lately, my life had been quieter than I liked, and I kept waiting, hoping, even longing for the peacefulness to shatter. There was a driving force inside me, urging me to do something, anything to ignite some sort of fire within me to relieve thetension coursing through my body before I went mad with boredom.

It wasn’t the seclusion that bothered me. In my world solitude was an expectation. You didn’t make too many close connections. It was dangerous to let people into your life. They would either betray you, or you would lose them. Although, I did have a few men that I trusted, those I would call friends. We had met as children growing up in the streets and formed strong bonds into adulthood as well as the men that I had encountered when I was older that helped forge me into who I was today. Men that lived life as I did, unafraid and unperturbed by the darkness that surrounded us. We each controlled and ruled our portions of the cities in which we resided. One of the men that I would trust with my life was walking in my direction with an uncharacteristic grin on his face. The sadistic part of my brain instantly awoke at the thought of finally being able to quench my thirst for malevolence.

“Why are you smiling? It usually doesn’t bode well for others when you are in a good mood. Whatever it is, I hope it will bring some much-needed excitement to the night and end my boredom.”

As Blaze took a seat, a buxom waitress wearing way too much make-up and an overpowering perfume instantly appeared with his favorite drink, bourbon.

“I brought some information that I think you will find interesting.”

I rolled my eyes in disappointment as I finished off the rest of my drink. “News that makes you smile, makes me wary. What is it?”

He drank the bourbon in one gulp and closed his eyes relishing the burn as the liquid slid down his throat. “Someone is trying to make trouble and asking questions. I have been told that he is claiming to be Russian.”

My eyebrows rose marginally with this revelation. “Bratva?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Not sure yet. I suppose he could be. Throwing his weight around, making demands and threats, doesn’t sound like Bratva. They are usually more subtle until things don’t go the way they want. He could just be an imposter hiding behind the Bratva name, using it as a tactic to intimidate people.”

“I don’t fucking intimidate easily. Chicago is my territory. It is unlike the Bratva to come into my domain and make a commotion without letting me know ahead of time. And they typically don’t make blind threats; they carry them out. Have you called Nickolai? He will know if there is someone connected to the Bratva in Chicago.”

Blaze raised his hand in the air and the waitress serving us immediately was at his side. He gave her a lust-filled gaze as his smile slipped and his eyes turned icy as she leaned forward, brushing her breasts across his shoulder. His arm snaked around her hip, his hand resting casually just above the curve of her ass as he told her what he desired.

“Another bourbon?” She practically rubbed herself against him like a damn cat in heat.

When she straightened, I sent her a look that communicated that I was not amused at her obvious flirtation,and since I was conducting business, I just wanted her to deliver the drinks and get the fuck back to work.

Blaze watched as she walked away, swishing her hips more than normal and glancing back over her shoulder to draw his attention.

“If you are going to screw her, just do so when she is off the clock. Now, did you call Nickolai, or have you been too preoccupied with finding somewhere to stick your dick tonight?”

His eyes narrowed as his face hardened and the familiar frown that sent most people running in the other direction was back in place. “Fuck you, Rogue. Need I remind you that I don’t take orders from you? We are equals. I thought I would tell you first before I got Nik involved. You are always bragging about this being your damn city, maybe someone wants to take it away from you.”

I smiled at his comment, glad to have someone with enough balls to defy me. It was the reason our friendship had lasted through the years. Neither one of us was afraid of the other and any challenge issued would be met, but in truth, there was no one I trusted more on this earth than Blaze.

“Trying to take what is mine, what belongs to me, would be an automatic death sentence. I don’t feel this man is a threat, an annoyance perhaps, but nothing to fear.” I sighed heavily as I drummed my fingers against the table. “The waitress ends her shift at midnight. Feel free to use one of the private rooms upstairs if you decide to entertain her further.”

A faint light twinkled in the depths of his dark eyes as his attention drifted to someone else across the room.

“I think I have found other prey for the night.”

My eyes narrowed as I followed his line of vision. The first thought that went through my mind when I saw her, was that she didn’t belong here. She was wearing a simple lavender spaghetti strap sundress that came just above her knees. Her long chocolate-colored hair hung down almost to her waist in loose waves. She was wearing wedge sandals and if she wore any make-up at all, it was natural, not the heavy black eyeliner and multicolored eyeshadows worn by most of the women I saw in the club. She was an outstanding beauty compared to any other woman I had seen before, but it wasn’t just her appearance that set her apart from the others. She was out of place, unsure of what to do, as if being in a place like this was unnatural.

It was as if an angel took a wrong turn and accidentally walked through the gates of hell by mistake and suddenly, my boredom disappeared.

I heard the low predatory growl emitted from Blaze as he gave her body a slow raking perusal. When he tried to stand, I put my hand on his arm, effectively restraining him from going after what I wanted.

“No, she’s mine.”

I didn’t wait for an argument. I drank the remainder of the whiskey in my glass and stood up to make my way across the room to where she stood casually leaning against the bar, twisting her hands nervously in front of her. She kept her head lowered and her eyes diverted as the chaos moved around her. Most of the people who stood between us had no idea as to my identity, nor how close they came to being thrown out of my way as I moved toward the lost angel I was about to claim.

A man was standing by her side. He handed her a drink and smiled down at her as she sipped it, her eyes squinting atthe bitter taste of the alcohol. He laughed scornfully at her as she covered her mouth and coughed softly. I had always been a selfish person and had never been particularly fond of sharing, so I wasn’t surprised when an intense feeling of possession swept over me. When he stepped closer to her, his body brushing against hers, that feeling intensified. I stepped through a couple dancing near the stage and was at her side the moment she leaned back to avoid his touch.

She bumped into me, and my hand instantly shot to her waist to steady her.

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