Page 395 of Rage

This man that I have known most of my life is on his knees broken over his actions waiting for me to punish him for something that I know he would have died to prevent. I stand up and walk over to him. In the next moment, I place my hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze to indicate that I need him to stand up. He lifts his head first and meets my eyes. Giving him as much reassurance as possible with my eyes I wait for him to stand up.

“I know you feel for the woman. There is no way you would have put her in danger or allowed her to exist in a dangerous situation without you. Stand up, we have some calls to make.” I try my best to reassure him, knowing that the more I can calm his brain the higher clarity he will reach.

“The van said ‘Ivan’s Liquor’ but that is all I got as it passed me,” he says, his voice barely carrying to me.. I rub my face knowing that our next move may start a war but I can’t think of one good reason to turn my back on this.

“That’s one of the Russian-owned businesses in town,” I utter but there is a pause as I let the information sink in to Gio. He needs the reassurance.

“Call our men, we are going to need every available hand. I will call my informant and see if I can get a location of where they would be holding your girl. Afterward, we will get a final plan together and I will summon my Lilac and tell her what happened.” I give the instruction and then I dial the nurse's station.

“I need to speak with Anna, it's a family emergency. Tell her it’s Aldo.” I instruct the nurse who picks up the phone. I watch as she comes over to the station and picks up the receiver.

“This is Anna,” she answers the phone, confused, but ready.

“Lilac, this is an emergency. I need you to come up to the third floor to office 322 right away. I promise that I would not ask this of you lightly, but grab your bag and let your supervisor know that you won’t be back today and you will keep her apprised of the situation,” I tell her, hoping to convey the seriousness of the situation.

“Give me five minutes,” is the only response that I get before the line goes dead. I watch her sprint to her supervisor's office and then she disappears in the direction of her locker. As soon as she is back in sight and headed up the stairs I retreat to the office. This is a conversation that needs to be had in private where she can react however she deems fit instead of the person she typically has to be inside of these walls. Her soft knock on the door is all the time I have to prepare before she walks in face flushed and she stops, fear filling her eyes. I lean up and pull her into my arms.

“Lilac,” is all I get out before her shoulders started shaking. Holding her closer to me and I feel my heart break knowing that I am going to have to tell her about Lucy.

“Tell me,” she instructs through her sobs.

“The Russians have taken Lucy and I will have my men get her back…” is all I get out before this beautiful girl pulls out a gun. My jaw hits the floor as she grabs a couple of extra magazines from her bag and prepares for war.

“Baby, as hot as it is for you to be armed, I can handle this.” In half a second she has the barrel of the gun pointed right at my dick as Gio enters the room. He lifts his gun and points it at her before he meets my eyes.

“Gio, I don’t care if she fills me with more holes than Swiss cheese. If you ever point your gun at my woman, I will have your existence erased from history. Do I make myself clear?” I ask with no kindness in my voice and a hard edge to my tone that I have never used on him before. With trepidation, he lowers his gun but does not put it away.

“If you do not sheath your gun right now Gio, I will cut off your trigger finger and preserve it in a jar for my lady.” At that moment she presses my bulge with the tip of the gun and kisses my cheek.

“I am going to get my best friend with or without your help. If you try to stop me I will shoot off your dick before I even have the chance to try it for myself.” Her words cause my dick to get harder as they leave her mouth. This fucking incredible woman has no fear of me and it is the most refreshing experience that I have ever had in my life. She is everything that I need and more.

“Gio, when and where are we meeting the reinforcements?” I ask, unphased by the loaded gun aimed at my family jewels.

“All of our men are converging at dusk and meeting two blocks from the warehouse where we suspect they’re holding her. It’s their territory, and if we assemble too soon, they could move her or worse.” Gio rattles off the information, his eyes bouncing between the two of us with uncertainty. She looks at her watch and we have enough time to change and drive over to the location.

“Lilac, I need you to give your keys to Gio. You and I will ride to the meeting point together and he will arrange for your car to be brought to your apartment,” I say with a smile.

“You don’t have the gate key to get it in after hours,” She responds, lowering the gun and holstering it. I see Gio’s shoulders relax at the sight.

“Babydoll, I own the building. There is no issue with any of my men putting your car away for you,” I inform her and watch the crease in her brow as she processes the information.

“Since when?! I signed a lease renewal three months ago, and as far as I know, the company has not changed,” She stutters, confusion and uncertainty filling her beautiful eyes.

“Technically, I took possession of the building this morning. I have the paperwork if you would like to see it.” I reach back onto the desk and grab the envelope ready to hand it over to her so she will believe me. She just stands there opening and closing her mouth trying to find the words.

“Why?” She asks me pulling away for the first time since she walked into the room. As much as I want to force this, I let her pull away because even if she told me that she never wanted to see my face again, I would be in the shadows doing everything in my power to keep her safe.

“I started the process the day that we met. From the moment that we connected, I knew that I would do anything to keep you safe so I bought the building that you are living in so that I could increase the safety and security without disrupting your comfort,” I answer her as honestly as I can. She searches my eyes for something before leaning into me and placing a soft kiss on my lips. The kiss kicks my primal need into overdrive and I dive deeper into the kiss, my hands finding purchase in her hair. She nips at my lip and I groan in response. A phone ringing disrupts us and we pull apart, breathing heavily.

Chapter Eight

“Hell hath no fury like a best friend on a mission.”

Anna

As Gio answers the phone I feel embarrassment creep up my neck as the realization that I basically just climbed Aldo in this office with him still here hits me. I look down at my feet to hide my shame. Gio whispers into the phone and we catch our breaths from the impactful kiss the call interrupted. A strong hand finds my chin and brings it up to meet his eyes.

“Never be ashamed of the explosive chemistry that we have. I know that I’m not,” he says to me with a taunting grin. He places a soft kiss on my cheek to reinforce the meaning behind his words as Gio wraps up the call. I reach into my bag and pull out my keys before handing them to Gio.

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