“That’s kind of the point, Glenn.” I didn’t make any apology for being here. We paid him a decent salary to manage our legitimate businesses; he could take our visit whenever we goddamn pleased. Atticus had been having difficulty reaching him as of late, so he felt a personal touch was needed. With the way the man was acting, it seemed his hunch was correct.
Mr. Charles led us into an office, eyeing my companions. “So, what do I owe this visit to, Nicolai?”
“Mr. Mascro has been having a difficult time reaching you, Glenn. So, I wanted to stop by and see if there was anything we could help you with. I brought our financial advisor with me. If you could please bring out the books for us to go through, I’d appreciate it.”
Sweat began to bead on his forehead as he nervously shuffled on his feet. “Um, yes, of course.” He looked over at Loren and Wells, almost like he was debating something.
“I wouldn’t think about running if I were you. The whole building is surrounded by guards. You won’t get more than two feet from the door.” It was complete bullshit, but he didn’t know that. Wells cracked his knuckles, acting as the muscle, and I smiled into my hand. That man was going to be my undoing. When Loren stepped into her role as Mafia Queen, I couldn’t have been more proud and turned on.
“Mr. Charles, is it? We haven’t met. I’m Loren Mascro. I can’t help but notice that you seem a little stressed. Is there something you wish to tell us?”
He swallowed again, his brow sweating more at the mention of her name. “Um,” he stuttered, pushing up his glasses.
Loren walked closer, gently patting his hand. “We can help you if you tell us everything, but keep it from us now, and my husbands won’t be as lenient.”
It was then I realized how much Loren fit with us. I’d always known it, but she gave us a softness we’d been craving. Atticus wanted our family to be different, but we often fell into old patterns, not able to see how to go about getting things in new ways. But here, Loren showed this man some fierce compassion in her own way.
She was strong and beautiful, avenging the misfortunate left and right.
Mr. Charles crumpled under her kindness, sinking into a chair next to his desk, spilling all of his misdeeds. Dayton had been thorough, but it seemed we might have caught it before it ruined us.
And all because Loren showed a little compassion. She was the Beauty to all our Beasts, showing us how to love.
Wells leaned close, his body pressing into mine. “She has no idea how amazing she is.”
“Nope, but we get to show her every day from here to eternity.” I smiled over, forgetting he’d moved closer. I got stuck in his eyes for a minute as we stared at one another.
“Yeah, we do,” he finally said, licking his lips.
The door shutting brought us back to the present, finding our smiling wife in front of us. She leaned back against the desk, crossing her ankles. “I really wish we had long enough to explore the looks on your guys' faces.”
“Raincheck, Beautiful.” I winked, stepping closer to her. “You were amazing, by the way. You were meant to be our wife, even if you don’t see it.” I leaned in, kissing her nose.
“I’m still figuring out my place in this world, but I like to think I’m grasping it. Thank you for reminding me.” She kissed my cheek, reaching a hand out to Wells, pulling him closer. “You’re my heart; I hope you know that.”
“Fuck,” I cursed, “now I wish we had more time. You can’t go spouting grandiose declarations and not expect me to show you how it makes me feel.”
I watched as her eyes dilated, and I knew she was two seconds away from giving in to my wants when the door opened, Mr. Charles returning. He cleared his throat, sitting a box down on the table.
“Um, here’s everything. The real ones.”
“Excellent,” I said, not dropping Loren’s eyes. “We’ll be taking them with us.”
I stepped away and motioned for Wells to grab the other box, and the three of us headed toward the door.
“I’ll be in touch about the future of our business.” I looked the man up and down, showing him that while Loren might have a softer approach, we weren’t opposed to cracking some skulls if needed.
I couldn’t be certain, but a small wet spot appeared on his pants as we turned to leave. A weird grin filled my face at finally being able to scare someone enough to pee themselves.
My life was weird, but I loved it. The future I’d dreamed of months ago no longer felt like me, and I knew I’d only been kidding myself.
These people, this life, this was who I was always meant to be.
* * *
When we got backto the car, the sexual tension was high, but it started to dwindle as we made a few more stops. Grinning to myself, I couldn’t wait to see how they reacted to the last visit. Thankfully, I had something up my sleeve to push the limits and stoke that fire.
“Can I stay in the car for this one?” Loren yawned, leaning back against the seat.