Little Fury: Book 1 of The deadly Little Thing Trilogy
Little Fury: Chapter 28

We arrive in New York on the morning of the 17th. Marcus heads to see his grandfather and Alexi, and I head to the Hilton Midtown. “Good morning,” the hotel clerk says.

“Morning, I have a reservation under Landry.”

She types on the computer, replaceing my information. “I see you have a suite booked, correct?”

“That is correct. I slide her my credit card. She takes it, does her stuff quickly, and hands me my key cards. “Welcome to the Hilton Midtown. You are in room 38465, 36th floor. Enjoy your stay.”

A bellhop is beside me instantly to carry my bags. Once I’m settled in my room I grab my laptop. Checking my emails, I reply to a couple of questions from Brynn at the bank and talk to a realtor in LA who is trying to replace us a house. Once I have that done I look at my phone and realize the guys will be here any minute.

Needing to get out of the yoga pants and T-shirt I wore for the flight, I quickly rinse off in the shower. I throw on a pair of dark skinny jeans and a deep green oversized knit sweater with a matching green bralette underneath. Happy with the amount of bralette that shows through the holes of the large knit, I slip on my Jimmy Choo combat boots. I blow dry my hair fast and then run a straightener through it quickly. Hair done I quickly do my eyebrows and throw on some mascara. Ready for the rest of my day I leave the bedroom.

In the main room, I pick up the food menu to order room service, and wait for the guys to arrive. I don’t wait long before the first knock at my door. Caden is the first to arrive. It’s no surprise; military folks are always prompt.

“Caden,” I say, opening the door to let him in. “The flight was ok? How’s your room?”

“Flight was good. Short, I was only in Philly. My room is good.”

There’s another knock at the door, and Caden turns to open it. “Help you?” he asks, directing the question to who I assume is Matt.

“Matt Forestt,” he says, with irritation in his voice, confirming once again that grumpy is his baseline.

Caden looks over his shoulder to me, and I nod; he allows Matt into the room.

“Matt, meet Caden. Caden, meet Matt.” I bite my lip to stop laughing aloud as these two men size each other up. Matt has a strong stay-the-fuck-away vibe. Caden has more of a size-you-up-and-replace-you-lacking vibe. I’m not sure exactly how men their age make friends, but apparently, for these two, it’s a staring contest followed by a couple of grunts and nods.

“We good, gentlemen?” I ask. Both men look at me, nod, and say, “Fine.” “Good.”

“Great to hear it because that wasn’t weird at all. Make yourselves at home. We are expecting one more and some food and drinks.”

Matt stands by the window, looking out over Times Square. Caden leans against the wall near the door. We hear a loud knock. Both men look at me.

“Room service,” I tell them.

Caden goes to open the door and lets the concierge bring the food in. He sets all the food on the dining table and places the beverages in the fridge. He puts an ice bucket on the bar near the glasses. “Will there be anything else ma’am?” He says, looking only at me, clearly not intimidated by the two large men watching him.

“That’s it for now, thank you.” He nods and steps towards me, and both Caden and Matt move to get between him and me.

“Easy there, guys. He needs my signature.” The concierge hands me a leather folder. Not even blinking at the behavior of the two large men glowering at him. I remove the pen, fill in the tip, and sign, then hand it back to him.

“Thank you, Miss Landry. I’m Robert, and I’m the concierge for this floor. I will be happy to accommodate you with anything you need.” With that, Robert leaves us, taking his cart with him.

“I wasn’t sure what you guys would want or if you were even hungry, so I ordered a bunch of different things. Please help yourselves to any of it.” I watch them both, waiting to see what they’ll do. Matt is the first to move and lifts a cloche, replaceing a couple of sandwiches. Lifting a few more, he replaces soup and a burger. He looks over at me and gives me the slightest nod. He places the burger in front of a chair at the table, goes to the fridge and grabs a bottle of water.

“Anyone?” he asks.

“Me, please,” I answer.

“Same,” Caden says.

Matt comes back to the table, water in hand. Passing us each one, he sits down and devours his food.

Caden replaces a salad and soup, sits down, and eats. I grab the turkey BLT on rye and sit in a chair between them. The room is quiet, and I can hear people chewing. Picking up my phone, connecting it to the audio system, I scroll looking for something I want to hear. Then I remember the two men in the room with me. “Do you two have any music you absolutely despise?“ They both look at me. Matt raises a single dark eyebrow. He shakes his head and goes back to eating.

Caden takes a sip of his water and says, “Jazz.”

“No jazz it is. I also despise jazz, so you were never in any danger of hearing it.” I select a playlist, and “Charleston Girl” by Tyler Childers fills the air.

We’ve just finished eating when there’s a knock at the door. I look at the time and smile. Right on time, only 54 minutes late. Caden gets up to open the door. “That’ll be Ben, 17, skinny and has a dimple,” I tell him. He walks and opens the door.

“Well fuck you’re big,” I hear Ben say, and I realize his outburst when he saw me on the video call is his normal.

Ben enters the room, sees me, and grins, “Yup, still hot.” He turns and sees Matt. “Well fuck, you’re even bigger than the other one. You also look really angry, but I bet that works well for you with the ladies, eh? Tall, dark, tattoos, the ability to grow a beard.”

Matt looks at the kid, and if I wasn’t sitting down, I’m pretty sure I’d have fallen over because he looks at Ben, and lets out a throw-your-head-back laugh. I shake my head, amazed that this may work out well.

“All right, gentlemen. This is Ben. Ben, that’s Matt,” I introduce them. Matt gives him a small smile, “And that’s Caden.”

“Hey, kid,” Caden says.

“All right, the gang’s all here. Let’s figure some stuff out.”

The guys head back to their rooms about four hours later. I was able to fill them in on what’s about to go down here in New York. Ben is already running a program to monitor Enzo’s banking, ensuring no big moves are made. He also tapped into the security system at the house to monitor him until we pay him a visit. The visit to Enzo is set to take place in 48 hours.

I got a text from Marcus telling me he’ll be another hour. I tell him to take his time. Taking my Kindle I head down to the lobby. There’s a cute coffee shop, and I replace an empty table in the back. I order a large London fog and a cheesecake pastry. The waitress brings me my order and I sit there for over an hour reading and drinking two London fogs. I know it’s been over an hour because I hear the chair pull out across from me, and Marcus sits down.

“Well, hello there,” I say without looking up from my Kindle.

“Babe, what would Harry say about you sitting out in public so engrossed in a dirty book that you’re unaware of your surroundings?” Marcus asks.

“First of all, the spice in this book is fucking impressive, so I feel like he would understand. Seriously, it’s given me a few ideas.” I hear him chuckle at that, but it sounds a bit forced. “Secondly, there are nine people in this coffee shop. The waitress, the barista, the dish boy in the back, you, me, the couple behind you to your left who just decided they want to adopt a cat. The man to my right has an Americano and is very deep in thought. It’s a little remarkable. The dude hasn’t stopped staring off into space for 23 minutes. And the young lady over by the door is studying for a class. I’ve been here for an hour or so, and 11 other people have come in, got coffee, and left.”

Marcus laughs hard at that, a real laugh, “One of these days, it’ll sink in just how good you are, Ava.”

I close my Kindle and look at him. It will never stop shocking me how beautiful he is. His eyes and mouth are exquisite, even with the pulled expression marring them. Something happened today with Alexi and his family. I wonder if he will tell me what it was. I won’t ask, its not my place to ask about his family things. “Did you eat?’

“I did. Did you?”

I nod and stand up, moving to stand beside him. I grab his hand. “Come on, then, let’s go up.”

We get to our room just as the sun is setting over New York. The city lights are starting to come on, and the view is magnificent. “Want a drink?” he, asks.

“Scotch, please,” I reply, watching him walk to the bar. I bend down to undo the laces on my boots, kick them off and remove my socks, enjoying being barefoot.

He grabs a couple of glasses and pours a drink for each of us. Marcus walks to the window, looking out over the city. “Do you miss New York?” I ask him.

“You know, when I was young, when I first came to the Ranch, I did. Now it doesn’t feel like home anymore.”

“Where will home be for us when this is done?”

Marcus looks at me. “Someplace warm? I know you hate winter.”

“I do. Montana killed any love for winter I had.” I say with a laugh.

“You’re home for me, Ava. The address isn’t important. It just has to have you there. The rest is just background.” He genuinely believes that. I can see the sincerity in his eyes. But his body—is it anger? Is that what I feel coming off him?

He moves and sits in the armchair in front of the window, placing his scotch on the floor by his feet. He leans his forearms on his legs, undoing his tie and a couple of his shirt buttons. He rolls his sleeves up, folding them below his elbow.

Fucking hell, how is he that attractive?

He sits there, elbows on his knees, chin resting on his thumbs, fingers clasped together, watching me.

Typically, that look goes instantly to my pussy, but right now, it causes me to pause ever so slightly. I feel a prickle at the back of my neck—a warning. I look at Marcus, watching him watch me. Something has changed, shifted. I don’t know what happened. I’m not even sure why I’m so convinced something has happened to us that I wasn’t privy to, but it’s there all the same—a crack in my trust in him, in us.

I stand across from him, both of us considering the other. He sits there, only his eyes moving as he watches me. Marcus shifts, letting one hand dangle between his thighs and using his other hand to rub his chin. He drags one of his fingers over his bottom lip. His eyes never leave mine.

I feel like prey under his gaze.

There’s something different tonight.

He’s, different tonight.

I bite my bottom lip, watching the man in front of me try to contain something within him that wants to come out.

“Ava,” he says darkly, there’s a warning in my name.

“What? Do you want something from me?” I ask with my own warning.

He meets my eyes, leaning back in his chair. “I don’t think I’m in the mood not to have what I want tonight, Ava.”

Well, that doesn’t sound threatening at all.

He’s so tense; so many emotions roiling over him. He’s clenching and releasing his fist. His jaw has a tick. Whatever happened today with his family has him ready for a fight, and that fight seems to be directed at me.

I take a step closer to him. Then another, until I’m standing between his legs. His fist still clenching. The tension in him is palpable standing this close.

“Where are you tonight Marcus? What happened when you were gone?”

His eyes roam over my body, not meeting mine. “What happens after?”

“After what?”

“After I end my father, and I have control of the family.” His eyes haven’t left my body, still not meeting mine as he collects his thoughts.

“Ask what you really want to know, Marcus.” He finally looks at me, raising a single eyebrow. There’s a challenge there.

His voice is low, “how about you tell me, Ava, what is it I really want to know.”

There it is.

I cock my head as I study him. Listening to the words he isn’t saying.

I take a breath before I answer. “You want to know, or you want me to tell you that I will happily work only for you,” I say. He says nothing. Instead, he takes a hand and runs it up my inner thigh, cupping me and grinding the heel of his palm into me. I widen my stance for him, still willing to play this game for the moment.

He pushes into me harder, rubbing the heel of his hand roughly against my core. The scrape of the fabric against my sensitive skin causes me to inhale sharply, not entirely from pleasure.

He likes that sound. I see his cock jump in his pants. “And will you, Ava? Work just for me? For the Rossi’s and, by extension, the Sokolovs? Will you take orders from me? From my grandfather Yuri?” He asks me these questions as he pushes into me harder.

My inner voice tells me not to push him, but I’m not listening to her. Miss Bennett’s voice echoes in my head, “Always listen to your instincts,” but I’m not listening to her either at the moment. I grab Marcus by the hair and force him to look at me.

“Are you still my best friend?”

“Yes,” he replies.

“Have our end goals changed?” I ask, tightening my hold on his hair.

“No,” he hisses.

“When have we ever said I would work for you? When have I ever said I would work for the Sokolovs in any capacity?” He says nothing.

“When?” I ask, pulling his hair tighter.

“Never.” he grounds out.

“Then what the fuck are you asking me?” I gesture to the position we are in.

“Alexi,” Marcus starts.

“Fucking Alexi,” I mutter, releasing his hair and taking a step back.

“Alexi and Yuri think that you would do better working for us.”

“Us? “I say.

“Yes. You don’t even need to work, Ava. You have more money than you could ever spend. So, we were talking, and we feel it’s stupid for you to take risks when you don’t need to.”

“So, what will I be doing with my time then?”

“Whatever you want. Travel, start a charity. A charity is a great way to launder money.” He informs me like this is the best idea ever.

“So, ok.” I take another step back from him. “Let me work through this. You, your grandfather, and your cousin, feel I would be more useful to your organizations by using my money to open a charity, so it can launder money for both of you?”

“Yeah! I mean, think about it. You and I could get married, fuck, we could have kids!” I replace myself searching his face for the punchline. But there isn’t one; no, he is wholly serious.

I drop my head back and look up at the ceiling. “Fuck, Marcus. You’re with your fucking family for like one day, and they already have you thinking like them. I will not work for the Sokolovs.” I look at him again. “Ignore their voices in your head for a minute. Think about me. Think about all the things you know about me. Think about all the years we’ve been together; in any of that, do you see a moment where I would have been open to working for the fucking Sokolovs?”

” Well, I just thought–”

I cut him off. “No, you didn’t just think. They told you what to think.” I see a flicker of anger in his eyes, but I push on. This moment is going to define us going forward.

“Marcus, you’re fucking smarter than this. They don’t care if I live or die. Honestly, their lives would be a lot easier without me in yours. They want my money and to be the only ones you listen to in your life.”

“And what Ava?” He gets up and stalks toward me. “I should listen to you and you only?”

“No, you fucking asshole. You should listen to your own fucking mind. We made all our plans together. Since we were seven, we worked with each other. Neither of us trying to manipulate the other. Partners, Marcus.”

“Ava, I have family obligations!” he snarls at me.

“No, actually, you don’t. You are about to be the head of the Rossi family. You are about to control a huge criminal organization. Enzo is the least respected Don out there. But he has so much clout, so much power, so many soldiers and connections that no one fucking messes with him or his turf.” I yell back, throwing my arms into the air.

“You don’t need the Sokolovs for a second! They fucking need you! They don’t have a foothold here yet. The Russians already here will do everything they can to stop the Sokolovs from gaining any traction in the States. But if they have you!? The others will bow down if they have the Rossi family with them. The Sokolovs will absorb every other Russian Bratva in this country. If they’re allowed to amass that kind of power. they will be the biggest Bratva anywhere.”

The anger running through me is electric. Anger I work very hard to control and I never let out. Harry’s voice rages in my head, “Anger will get you killed every single time. Anger makes you stupid; it makes you miss the little things. And the little things, Little Fury, are usually what you need to see.” The anger that this jackass just caused.

I wait, letting my words sink in, giving myself a moment to slip the anger back into its little box. “They’re my family, Ava,” he says, the fight leaving his voice.

“They are, so I get you deciding to back them. But Marcus, they are not my family. You are. Only you. Do you understand what I’m saying? I’ll pull jobs for you; I’ll kill anyone you need removed. I’ll kill anyone you want me to; your gardener did a shit job? Fuck that guy; I’ll kill him if that’s what you need. Fuck, I’ll steal the Mona Lisa for you if you want, but I won’t work for them. I won’t sit at home and open a charity. I will do what we have always planned for me to do. If you need to change your side of the plan, I will respect that and do my best to adjust or accommodate the changes, but I will work. I will take jobs from whoever and whenever I want. I won’t check with you or them. You running my life or me running yours was never part of our plan. Our plan was always for me to help you achieve your goals and for me to do my own thing. Still together, still us, but me independent from the Mafia. In no world will I ever be part of a made family.”

Silence hangs in the air for a few heartbeats. I see Marcus working through everything I just yelled at him. I know this man so well I can see the thoughts running through his mind. The moment he has his words collected, I brace myself. I want to be wrong. I want him to surprise me with the answer that is about to leave his mouth.

“I know. I’m sorry. But I’m not going to lie, Ava. The thought of you home safe, maybe pregnant with my baby, or just knowing you’re there for me when I get home is intoxicating.” He rubs his hands along the back of his neck.

I sigh. “I get it. But I can’t give you that.”

“Can’t or won’t?” A touch of bitterness lances through his question.

“I won’t, Marcus.” I won’t lie to him. He nods his head at me. He knew the answer before he asked the question. “You need to decide, baby. You and me just like we always planned. Or you and them.”

He looks at me, holding my gaze. “You and I, Ava. Always you and I.” And there it is. The lie. Fuck. I smile at him because while I know it’s a lie, I don’t know if he does. I step into him and press my lips to his just as his phone rings.

“Yeah?” He listens to the voice on the other end. Nodding, he says “OK” a couple of times. “Yeah, pick me up in 30.”

He turns to me. “Ava, I need to help my family with some things.”

“I heard.”

“I don’t know how long I’ll be.”

“It’s fine, Marcus. It’s family, I get it.”

“You seem mad.”

“Marcus, you’ve seen me mad. Wanna rephrase that?”

“Ok, you seem annoyed that your boyfriend is going out.”

I can’t help but smile at that. “My only concern is tomorrow and you being ready for it.”

“I’ve been ready for it for five years,” he reminds me.

“That’s not what I mean, and you know it.”

“Ava, I have been waiting for this for a long time, and there is nothing I would do to jeopardize it. Family or not, if I thought for a moment it would fuck things up tomorrow, I wouldn’t go.”

“And boyfriend, really Marcus?”

“You aren’t my girlfriend?”

“No more than you’re my boyfriend,” I inform him.

He looks at me, very unsure what the fuck is going on.

I sigh. “Marcus, we aren’t kids, nor are we college students. Boyfriend/girlfriend seems so juvenile to me. You are a grown man, and you make your own choices. Does calling me your girlfriend somehow put ownership on us? Cause for me, it’s just us. Fucking or not. It’s us. We just are.”

His eyes are locked on me. “Take off your pants, Ava.” I quirk up an eyebrow at him, and then I take off to the bedroom, but he’s faster than me; he’s always been faster than me. He has me by the waist and throws me onto the bed. He grabs my ankles, dragging me to the end of the bed. His hand grabs the waistband of my pants and in one rough tug he removes them and my underwear with them. I turn to get away, trying to scramble higher on the bed, but he catches me again.

He gets me to the edge of the bed, and holds me down as he buries his face between my legs. He drags his tongue along me. One long. slow, strong, lick. “I have to go to Release tonight,” he tells me before he sucks my clit into his mouth stopping just as quickly.

“So, I’m going to make you come on my face before I leave.” He finishes his sentence punctuating it with a slide of his tongue between my folds, Working up to my clit, his tongue flicking it before continuing.

“I’m going to walk through that place, watching all the dirty and debauched things they do to each other there.” He drags his teeth over it, before closing his lips over me, using his tongue to drag a moan from me.

“I’m going to watch as men fuck the women hard, making them scream and writhe for release.” He pushes a finger inside me, twisting it as he draws it back out. Sliding it back in, his mouth closes over me again, this time sucking and flicking my clit making me moan. My hips raise off the bed as he works me with his finger, as his mouth takes pleasure in teasing me. Taking from me but not quite giving me back what I need.

“I’m going to stop and watch the women on their knees, letting the men fuck their faces.” His tongue presses against my swollen clit, I whimper, ready to beg him not to stop.

“I’m going to stop and watch as some gorgeous man gets topped by another. I’ll watch him fuck him hard and fast, his ass gripping his thick cock so tight as they both explode for the other.” He slams two fingers into me my core quivering. His words make me ache. He works his fingers in me. The sounds of my wetness on his fingers as they fuck me fill the room.

“I’m going to see all this, all those writhing bodies.’ His fingers are stroking that spot inside me as he speaks. ‘Skin on skin, the slap of bodies as one person ravages another’s.’ His fingers are moving in and out of me faster now, my breathing picking up with his pace and his words.

“My cock is going to be so fucking hard, but I won’t do a thing about it. I’ll just endure the pain of it.” His Tongue and fingers replace a punishing rhythm, My thighs are shaking as my release starts coming fast. just for him to stop again.

“Marcus, please, please let me come; I can’t. It’s too much.”

“It’s not too much; just breathe, baby.” His fingers haven’t stopped working me. His thumb slowly circles my clit, just slow enough to keep me edged.

“Then Ava, I’m going to walk into a back room and put a couple of bullets in the heads of a couple of guys who thought they could steal from my grandfather.” My breaths are coming so hard and fast now. My legs won’t stop shaking. Marcus continues his demanding, sweet torture of me. “Then I’m going to come back here, and I’m going to replace you asleep in this bed naked.” I’m just panting now, and mewling noises are leaving my mouth. My pussy is dripping from his words and his touch.

“Tell me what you think I’m going to do when I replace you naked in this bed in a couple of hours?”

My body tenses when he sucks on my clit again, dragging it into his mouth as he slides his fingers out of me only to add another, stretching me while he strokes me, and then he stops. “Jesus fuck, Marcus, I’m going to fucking kill you if you leave me like this.”

“Answer my question, Ava, and I’ll let you come.”

“What was the question?”

“What will I do when I get back here and replace you naked in this bed?’ He repeats. ‘Answer quickly, Ava; my ride will be here soon.”

“You’re going to fuck me,” I say matter-of-factly.

“Tsk tsk,” he taunts me. “You can do better than that. Tell me what you want, and I’ll give it to you.” His tongue swipes along my pussy so lightly it’s barely there.

“You’ll come home and replace me naked, still wet for you.” This gets me the smallest circle from his tongue against my clit. “Then you’ll climb onto the bed slowly, careful not to wake me.’ His fingers pick their pace back up. In and out of me, dragging against my inner walls. “Then you’ll lift my hips just a bit, line yourself up with my entrance and bury yourself in me. It’ll be hard and fast, and I’ll wake up having you in me ravishing my needy cunt.”

This must have been the correct answer; he pushes my legs wide. “Hands, Ava,” I give him my hands, and he places them on my legs. “Keep your legs there for me, baby. Keep this glistening pussy wide open for me.”

I don’t reply; I hold myself open for him. His face comes back to me, his mouth on me fast. He eats me, licking and sucking my clit in his mouth again, two fingers inside me, plunging them into me. His fingers fixate on that spot inside me, and his tongue moves against my clit. He works me so expertly, making my body sing for him. My orgasm is building fast.

“Fuck. Your pussy is dripping wet, running down my hand,” he tells me with pride. He seals his lips around my clit sucking hard, and it pushes me over the edge. I can’t keep my hands on my legs anymore. I grab Marcus by the hair, and my legs clamp around his head as I fuck his face. Taking everything, I can as I ride out the orgasm. I feel my come running out of me, dripping towards my ass. Marcus eats and eats, cleaning up every last bit of it. He shoves his face into me harder, and I know he’s rubbing my juices over his face. It’s so fucking dirty, so fucking depraved, and I love it.

I release my hold on him, letting my legs fall open. “Fuck, Ava, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you like the idea of me going to Release wearing your cum as my cologne.” I hear him chuckle. I look at him and roll my eyes. “Go away, Marcus. I just fucked someone’s face so hard I saw stars.” I crawl up the bed, flop onto my stomach, and close my eyes. I feel a blanket placed over me, and I hear the door to the bedroom close, and then I’m asleep.

I feel the bed shift, but none of it registers until he plunges into me. He pulls out and drives back in and I moan.

“Fuck.” I feel him pull my hips higher, so I get my knees under me, giving both of us a chance to move against each other. His hands grip my ass as he pummels into me over and over. I feel the sting, as he slaps my ass, then he rubs it before he smacks it again. The sting is more intense this time. I groan into the mattress. My hands grab the sheets, and I thrust back into him, meeting him over and over again. “Work yourself, Ava; I want you to come with me.”

I do as he asks, and I start to rub my clit; it’s swollen and throbbing, so ready for my fingers. “Marcus, I’m not going to last. Baby, please, I can’t stop.” The words are barely out of my mouth before I feel my orgasm hit. I feel my pussy clench his cock so fucking hard.

“Jesus,” I hear Marcus’ groan, and I feel him drive into me harder and more frantically. “Fuck!” he yells out as his own orgasm tears through him.

We both collapse onto the bed, and Marcus falls to my side so he doesn’t crush me. “You’re good. Everything went okay?”

“Yeah,” he laughs. “It went fine. Not as good as that, but still fine,” he tells me through laboured breaths.

I mumble something incoherent, my eyes already closing, as sleep takes me.