Page 54 of Playing for the Dark
“I know your sister still being there with him is something you fight with, but you can’t blame yourself. You did what was best for you and your future.”
“You stayed,” he says, looking down at his lap where he’s wringing his hands together.
“You can’t compare yourself with people, Nash. I battle with myself daily. I should’ve been graduated and working my big girl job by now, but instead, I’m a goddamn bartender and taking classes online. We all have our battles and regrets, but again, we all go through the shit for a reason. Look at it this way; Willow may have needed to learn from being there with him or seeing youget out of the situation. Who’s to say she wouldn’t come and live with you here?”
“He never treated her the way he treated me… or at least didn’t when I was still around. That’s not to say he didn’t start, but I think you may be right. I need to forgive myself and move on. She calls and updates me sounding happy.” He shrugs, and the weight that just lifted off of him is visible. His dad’s going to have to be another question altogether, but I’ll save that for another day.
After a couple more minutes of silence and gathering ourselves, we finally decide to head up to my apartment. When I get to the door, punch the code in, and swing it open, there’s Blair riding some man’s cock in the living room. “Goddamn, babe, on the couch?” I ask out loud.I act like I wasn’t just doing this last night while on video call. She lets out a little gasp of shock, but that quickly turns into a moan from whatever said man just whispered into her ear.
Looking back at Nash, his whole face is red as fuck.Oh, let’s embarrass him.“That ass of yours is looking good, Blair! Can you send me your workout routine? And bud, if you need pointers to help her come this one back here”—I throw my thumb over my shoulder—“he’s a pro.Literally.” Nash squeaks, clearly freaking the hell out. The face attached to the cock pops over Blair’s shoulder, and it’s fucking Vincent!Shit, the plot thickens.
“Fuck, that’s killer man…” is all Nash says before practically running towardmy room.
Vin’s unamused voice grumbles out, “Can you two get the fuck out of here so we can continue? Unless you like watching… sit down and shut the hell up. And I don’t need pointers, Ellie. She’s come four times before she was begging for my cock.”
I smirk at him the whole time, walking toward my room. I pack a couple of bags of clothes, makeup, and my laptop for schoolwork. I refuse to get behind in school. I’ve come this far, I can practically taste my degree.
It does make me feel better that Vincent is here protecting Blair. He’s been Marcello’s second since I can remember and lived with the Barones before that, and Blair has had a crush on that man for just as long. I’m glad she finally got him to say, “fuck it.” Marcello’s going to be pissed he’s fucking his niece, but I’m not going to be the one to tell him. I turn around from packing my bag and point my finger while threatening, “Don’t say a word about seeing what you just did to Marcello.” He just nods his head at me.
When I head back into the living room to grab the last few things I need, I don’t see them. I guess they moved to somewhere more private. But then I hear Vin talking to someone in Blair’s room, and she’s talking too… but it still sounds like they’re fucking.
Not my business, but I’m sure as hell texting and asking about this later… making it my business.
1. Till It’s Gone - Yelawolf
Chapter 41
Zamir
While Ellie and Nash have been gone, Marcello has been getting me caught up on all the shit he’s found out about the Albanian crew out here. They ran things slightly different than we did back in Chicago, but that’s also not saying much since I’ve been out of direct contact for so long. I wasn’t lying when I told Nash earlier that I missed getting dirty… The excitement and adrenaline you get from this is incomparable. It’s a drug to me, and I’m willing to relapse.
Marcello has Noah, his hacker, on the phone, and they’re going over the breech Marcello allowed when he thought it was just an innocent search from me to see how he was involved with Ellie, or more so why the hell he was stalking her. That also all makes so much more sense now that I have the wholepicture.
He hangs up, shoving his phone into his suit pants, leaning up against the wall closest to his couch where I am. This fucker never has anything on besides a suit, and I’m sure he doesn’t want to wrinkle it by sitting, but fuck does he fill them out perfectly. He darts his eyes at me before saying, “We’re ninety-nine percent sure your hacker back home is who filled your father and uncle in on Ellie being someone important to me. I think Vito and Argon have their hands in a lot more shit than you know about since you’ve been gone.”
“I would’ve never seen it being Arben, but that’s the only thing that makes any sense. We were always so close back in the day.” Marcello’s been in charge for a long ass time here in Vegas, and he’s got plenty of enemies, but if he thinks it’s them, then I’m not arguing. They’re over 1,500 miles away, but that clearly didn’t stop them from getting their hands into whatever they have so far with Igor.
That jogs my memory to call Alex and see if he’s found anything else about the Igor situation. I would hate to have to kill every member of my family, but if Alex joined them in this… The skin trade is unforgivable and add on trying to hurt someone I care about—that’s the death wish they didn’t know they were ordering.
Shit has changed since I’ve been home. The reach we had back then was nothing. We were holding on by threads to keep what little territory we had under control.
Marcello sits down on his fancy as fuck couch beside me, oddly docile for an obsessed stalker, and utters, “You know as well as me that finding loyal people is pretty much impossible, let alone family… they’re the quickest to stab you in the back.” If he could burn a hole through whatever the hell he’s staring at, I think he would be right now. He must’ve had problems with family in the past. I store that information away for later… now is not the time.
Instead, I ask what’s been eating away at my brain, “Are you okay with what this is?”
He pinches his brows together. “Okay with what?”
“All of us being with Ellie. Not even just that, Nash and I are together too.” I guess we would be together? I have no clue anymore… I have feelings for both of them that aren’t going away anytime soon, so Bossman is gonna have to be good with Nash and me fucking like rabbits too.He didn’t seem to mind on that video call.
“As long as myRagazza Dolceis happy, I don’t care what the hell happens. As far as you two go, I’m used to being in Sin’s watching all the time. Nothing bothers me, Uccisore, I promise.” He pats my thigh, and just that touch has me ready to beg for another from him.
1 Before I can think further into that, my phone starts to ring. I pull it out, and it’s Nash. My stomachsinks. I answer and throw it on speaker so Marcello can hear as well.
I bark out, “Nash.”
I hear the engine roaring in whatever car they decided to take, and Nash finally talks. His voice is shaky. “Zamir… Somebody’s following us in a black car.”
“Breathe, are you driving?”
