“Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t.” She crossed her arms over her chest, pushing up her cleavage that I did my best to pretend not to look at. “What’s it to you, James? Do you-” Suddenly she stopped speaking in the middle of checking me out.
She stared at my arm for a moment, the tattoos specifically, with her head cocking to the side and the strangest flare of something passing through her eyes.
“Don’t like tatts?” I wondered.
“On me, no. On pretty boys, then yes.” She pointed with a long red painted finger, right over the red diamonds tattoo, the tip of her nail wicked sharp against my flesh and making me shiver. “This one means you are in a gang.”
Mild disappointment burned through me at the thought that I had put her off me so fast for something that wasn’t even my legitimate choice or entirely true.
“Ah, you don’t like gangsters.” With a brighter grin, I tried to sound positive, wanting to change her mind about me so she didn’t think I was a piece of shit. “I swear I’m not like the other gangsters you hear about. I’m a good boy in my heart.”
“Are you a real gangster, James?” She never replied to my question, “You don’t seem like you would be a murderer or something and you aren’t carrying a gun.”
I barely registered the fact she had noticed my lack of a weapon, even though I probably ought to have done so. “You know a lot of murderers?”
“Maybe more than you.” She grinned for a moment, so bright it was almost evil. “What do you think of your boss, Beau? I heard he’s a bit of apendejo. Has a stupid haircut and likes to talk shit sometimes. Plus, I think he pretends to be a dangerous man when he is like a fluffy bunny or something.”
Beau Montana was the opposite of a fluffy bunny, but the idea of someone thinking he was, amused me greatly. Everyone in Diamond Grove knew the man was an unhinged serial killer who loved violence, and only pretended to be slightly normal on the day-to-day basis.
“No idea. Mine and my brother’s orders come through my dad. So I don’t really deal with him like most other people. But I’m sure he’s alright.” I wasn’t dumb enough to talk shit about him to a stranger even if she was beautiful – I preferred to keep my organs inside my body.
She seemed a little surprised as she asked, “Who is your daddy?”
“You wouldn’t know him. He’s nobody important.” She might have known him, but it seemed stupid to mention his name or anything that could tell people he had been an enforcer for so many years and was badass, and loved enough by Ford Montana, to have been allowed the freedom to leave and do as he pleased.
That Ford had even allowed every member of the Leroux household to forgo all the nastier sides of gang initiation and life unless they truly wanted to take part.
Diamond nodded her head, seemingly happy with my lackluster answer.
“Do you have your phone on you?” She asked.
It was in the car, along with my gun, so I said, “Nope.”
She sighed, taking some form of makeup pen out of a stupidly small pink purse, yanking my hand toward her. I let her write on me, not daring to move an inch as she scrawled her number onto my skin, and I pretended not to be enjoying how soft her hands were against me.
“Call me if you fancy… something fun.” She stepped back and blew me a kiss. “Lots and lots of fun.”
With that, she walked away. And though being loud in public was usually an ick for me, I faced her and called out, “So the gang thing didn’t throw you off then – good to know, Diamond.”
If she was into gangsters, then I could play rough for her. Though I had no idea what she was into, I was fairly sure I could get her into the games I liked to play and show her just how wicked I could be.
“Only because of the gang you chose.” She didn’t give me another look as her laughter echoed throughout the store. “Had you wore another ink, I would have seen how long it could take me to turn you inside out.”
I burst out laughing at her joke as she sashayed away with a little wave, leaving me to stare as she went, eyes moving from her ass to her in general until she was entirely out of sight. Only then did I bother finishing grabbing what I came for and hurrying out of the store to Price.
With a little too much excitement, I told him about meeting Diamond the moment I got into the car and he seemed rather impressed.
“How hot we talking? World class and never seen again or what?”
“World class.” The answer came right away. “I’ve seen plenty of beautiful women and she has to be the top. I’m talking curves for days, and ass that won’t quit and a far too beautiful face. And she had one of those sexy voices that makes you wanna do some fucked up shit so long as she asked.”
“Damn.” He turned in his seat, staring out the window and being nosy. “Now I wanna get out and go find her.”
“Fuck right off, I have dibs.”
His bright blue eyes rolled. “Dibs aren’t a thing on people and even if they were, if she was as hot as you say she was, then I don’t respect your dibs. Imma go find her and marry her and you can either join in or do one.” He patted my arm. “I’d let her fuck you first, so my monster dick doesn’t make yours look small in comparison, purely as a thank you for finding her.”
Ignoring half of what he said, I asked, “You’d marry a stranger?”
