A Bad Man: Joey Read online

  The other man sobered slightly, blood and sweat, spit and dirt running down his face. “Yeah, I do. Soon there won’t be the Bacelli crew running things.”

  Joey didn’t stop himself from slamming his fist in Thad’s face. The man’s whole body cocked back and swung slightly on his tethers.

  “Niklo, Alex, this fucker isn’t going to leave this warehouse in one piece.”

  Thad started thrashing around.

  “I want his body in twenty different pieces.” Joey looked at his men. He stared at Alex and waited for his longtime friend to bring him the hunting knife. Joey held the knife up, stared at Thad in the eyes, and said, “Your death will make this war explode in death and blood, but I’m looking forward to every fucking second of it.”

  And then he took the knife, pressed it to Thad’s navel, and cut the fucking bastard wide open.

  Chapter Nine

  Joey had come back to the apartment a couple of hours ago, and after speaking with Little Johnny for a few moments, his associate had left and Joey had made a call while he had stepped into his bedroom and shut the door behind him. He was in a mood, that was for sure, and the fact he hadn’t done more than kiss her lightly on the forehead since he had walked through his front door told her that something had probably gone down while he had been out. She hadn’t expected a full on make-out session, or him throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her to his bedroom because he couldn’t control himself. The truth was Marra didn’t want any of that, because as soon as she had seen his face, that hard mask of unrestrained rage covering him, and the fact she had seen a few droplets of what she assumed was blood on his collar, it had reminded her of the situation she was really in.

  But the sun had set long ago, Johnny had left, the city lights could be seen through the windows, and she was feeling even more on edge. What exactly had happened today? Did Joey get things straightened out to where she didn’t have to stay here anymore? She might have let her emotions for him come forth, but that didn’t mean she wanted to stay in his apartment like she was on house arrest. She may have only been in Bourbon for a year, but she wanted to be able to come and go as she pleased, and she had work at Vincenzo’s. There was no doubt that Joey could “smooth” things over so she wouldn’t get fired if she didn’t show up Monday, but she didn’t want him doing anything like that.

  The sound of the bedroom door opening had her standing from her seat by the window and staring at Joey. He had taken a shower, and now wore a clean white button down shirt and a pair of dark slacks. His short hair was damp around his head, and he was fixing his cuff and not staring at her. She could see the man behind the nice clothes and tough exterior, though, the one that had touched her with soft hands and told her how much he wanted her.

  “Joey,” she said and then cleared her throat.

  He stopped and looked up at her, and this strange emotion crossed his face before he took on that icy exterior once more.

  “What happened today?”

  He walked by her and set his cell on the counter before grabbing a bottle of liquor from his cabinet. After he poured himself a large glass of what she assumed was whiskey or something similar, he drank it without looking at her. He then grabbed another glass, filled them both up this time, and turned toward her. He stared at Marra for a few seconds, and then walked toward her. Joey held out the glass, kept his focus on her, and when she took the glass he turned toward the window.

  “One of my guys should be here in a little bit with some takeout.” He glanced at her. “Hopefully that’s okay since I don’t want to take you out with all this shit happening, and secondly I am too wound up and just want to relax.”

  She nodded and drank some of the strong alcohol. Marra wanted to ask him what was happening, but on the other hand she didn’t because she was afraid. But curiosity and the need to know what the fuck was going on with her life won out.

  “Joey, what is going on with all of this? You came home with this dark cloud over your head, and honestly it is a little unsettling.” Marra didn’t expect him to tell her every gritty detail, and she didn’t want to know them, but this was her life, and she deserved to know something.

  It took him a moment to respond, but he finally exhaled, and turned to face her. He had finished his drink, and when she saw his expression she downed the rest of hers.

  “I’m not going to get into specifics, Marra.”

  “I have every right to know what is going on, Joey. This is my life we are talking about.” Emotion broke open like a dam erupting.

  There was a knock on the door, and before the conversation could get ugly, which she knew it would if they continued on this stubborn path, Joey turned and opened it. There was a younger man on the other side, and Marra didn’t think he was older than twenty. Joey gave him a handful of bills, clapped him on the back, and grabbed the big paper bag he held out. Once the door was shut again Joey set the bag on the counter and started getting things out. The smell of garlic and tomato sauce filled her nose. Her stomach growled, but she wasn’t finished with this conversation.

  Joey turned to grab some plates, but she went over to him and grabbed his forearm. He stopped and looked down at where she was touching him. Marra took her hand back and retreated. She was not going to be intimidated by him, even if deep down she was scared of the man he portrayed.

  “Marra, I don’t want to do this right now.” He breathed out, suddenly seeming very tired. “I just want to eat, and then sit on the couch and hold you.”

  His admission shocked her.

  “You want to know the truth?”

  She nodded, but she felt this fear of what he might say take over her. It was a different kind of fear that warped and corrupted all other emotions inside of her. He moved closer to her until the counter stopped her retreat. She held onto the granite and stared at him.

  “The man that wants to destroy my empire has threatened your life if I don’t agree to his terms.”

  Her throat constricted. She didn’t say anything in response, because she didn’t know what to say.

  “They want me to fold for them, and if I don’t they will hurt you and Kelly, the wife of a former associate. Mario might have been a traitor, but Kelly is still a part of the Bacelli family, and her getting hurt because she was caught up in all of this isn’t going to go down.” He leaned his face in close to hers. And I’ll say it again, you getting hurt is not a fucking option.”

  He looked down at her mouth, and she felt her breath leave her and her heart stall.

  “I’m tired, pissed, and want nothing more than to just hold you, but right now I really need to fuck you, Marra.” Joey snagged her around the nape and tugged her forward. He kissed her fiercely, and there wasn’t anything romantic about it. It was wet and sloppy, but it was so fucking hot that she wanted more. Their talk wasn’t nearly over with, and it was clear he was diverting, but right now there was a lot of passion, anger, and heat swirling around them. She was helpless to stop this.

  Joey took his free hand and moved it up her thigh, under the hem of her shirt, and curled his big fingers into her hip. It wasn’t an overly sensual touch, but rather one that felt more like a brand of ownership. He made grunting noises against her mouth, like he couldn’t control himself. Joey broke away, gripped her around the waist, and lifted her easily onto the counter. Her legs were spread, and the skirt that she wore—courtesy of the clothing Little Johnny had brought for her—was a pool of fabric around her waist. He moved between them, and hissed out when his erection probed against her moist panties.

  He had his mouth back on hers and his tongue between her lips. For long seconds he tormented and abused her mouth with his, took control of every aspect of the act, and she couldn’t believe she wanted more of his erotic abuse. “I want in your body, baby. I want to slide my cock in your hot little cunt.” He tugged at her bottom lip with his teeth, and the sound of her flesh snapping back in place when he let go made her even more aroused.

  He took control o
f the situation and of her body. He didn’t say words to coax her, just showed his dominance in the way he licked the interior of her mouth, ran his hands over her body, and willed her to get hotter by the second. “You have no idea how good it feels to kiss you.” He started kneading her breasts with his big hands, and pressing his cock against her sensitive pussy. “Do I make you feel good, Marra?”

  She nodded and licked her lips, unable to actually form words. It was clear she was weak for him when the physical contact started happening.

  Joey pushed her thighs apart, moved one hand down her chest, over her inner thigh, and stopped right on her wet panties. They had to be moist because she felt embarrassingly soaked for him.

  He continued to kiss her while he pushed her panties aside and spread his fingers through her folds. The low rumble he gave had a shiver working through her. And then he tore the fucking underwear away as if they were a nuisance. She watched with these hazy clouded goggles of pleasure covering her vision as he grabbed a condom, pushed his pants down enough to sheath himself, and then moved closer to her again. At least they were conscious enough to use protection.

  He grabbed her under the thighs, pulled her down so her ass was nearly hanging off the edge, and started rubbing his cock along her slit.

  The feel of the thick crest of Joey’s dick penetrating her pussy had her head falling back slightly on its own and a gasp of pleasure leaving her. He stretched her so damn good. She thought he might have gone slowly, but honestly she knew better. Joey tunneled into her body in one steady, swift move. Her ass moved up the counter an inch, but he kept one hand on her ass and another on her chin. His mouth was by her ear, and the heavy sounds of his breathing matched her own. This wasn’t making love, wasn’t soft and easy. This was hard fucking, intense and in the moment sex because they were both shattered and on the edge, and right now this would make things okay.

  Joey didn’t ease in and out of her. He fucked her like she was a vessel for his pleasure. He shoved her shirt up her chest forcefully, pulling her bra down and baring her breasts, and then lowered his head to suck on her exposed nipples. A gasp of pain left her when he bit down on one stiff peak, but he then dragged his tongue along the abused flesh, causing her inner muscles to clench around him.

  “Fuck, yeah, baby. Do that again. Milk my cock until I come so fucking hard.”

  She did as Joey asked, and he continued to slam his dick in and out of her. He didn’t stop torturing her nipples, and she couldn’t hold off the inevitable orgasm that had slowly risen since they had started this. She closed her eyes, enjoying the euphoric sensation that washed through her, and didn’t care about anything else. While her pleasure was still going he grabbed her hair, yanked her head forward and kissed her hard enough that their teeth clashed. Joey shuddered against her, and then he pumped into her three times before stilling. He came, and the smell of his freshly showered flesh, and of the combined sweet muskiness of their arousal surrounded her. Their faces were so close, fused at the lips as they panted against each other.

  “That was intense,” she said on a breath.

  “Yeah, it was, but so fucking hot.” He kissed her once more before pulling out of her.

  She spotted her panties a tattered mess on the ground, and slowly slid off the counter and picked them up. “You just got me these.” She smiled and held them up. It was strange to feel at ease around him, and especially after what they had just done and the danger surrounding her. He grabbed her underwear and shoved them in his back pocket, a devilish grin on his face. He reached out and snagged her around the waist, bringing her close to his body. She loved the smell of him, and she closed her eyes and inhaled. But on the heels of her post-euphoric haze she came back to reality.

  “So what happens now?” she said and tilted her head back. He had his focus on the window, and she saw the way he clenched his jaw hard enough that a muscle ticked under the freshly shaved skin of his cheek.

  He looked back down at her. “Do you really want to know?”

  She nodded.

  It took him a moment to answer, but then he said, “I go and wipe every last one of those motherfuckers out.”

  ****

  Joey watched as Marra took a long sip from her wine glass, her focus on the city right out the living room window. He wanted to brush away the lock of dark curly hair that had fallen across her face, but before he could act on that she pushed the strand away herself. He hadn’t told her many details about the Gondalo crew or of what he planned on doing with them once he had them alone, but it wasn’t because he didn’t trust her. For the last year he had been watching her. She was an honest, hardworking woman, and in this day and age that was hard to come by. Even the drama was nonexistent with her, and after being with Angie and dealing with that shit it was a nice change. He didn’t tell her shit because he wanted her out of this as much as possible. The more she knew the more danger she was in. She was already right in the middle of this, but when he had heard that fucker Carlos talk about how if Joey didn’t agree to his terms he’d come after Marra, this darkness had come over him. He wanted blood on his hands, limbs surrounding him because he had torn them from the bodies himself, and lifeless eyes staring back at him.

  But this one moment in time was exceptionally nice, because it was quiet, he was full and sated, and he had Marra right in front of him. She only wore his white button up shirt, and he had to admit she looked damn good in it.

  “Come on.” He stood and held his hand out to her. She took it, had her wine glass in her other hand, and stood. They moved over to the living room, and he watched her sit down, the shirt riding up and showing off her generous thighs. She was nice and plump, had a nice woman’s body that was meant to grip onto, and reminded him of those gorgeous plus sized models. But Joey didn’t consider her oversized, plus sized, or fat in any sense. She was perfectly proportioned, and all his. He put the electric fire on, and although it was too warm for one really, the atmosphere most definitely called for it. Besides, if they got too hot they could just take their clothes off. That had him grinning. He moved back toward her and sat down, grabbed her legs, and placed them over his thighs. For a moment all he did was stare at the flames and run the pads of his fingers over her smooth skin.

  “Have you thought of calling the cops yet?” he asked but didn’t look at her or stop touching her.

  “I did, once, but it was a passing thought.”

  He felt her stare on him, and turned to look at her face. “What stopped you?”

  “Aside from the fact you took my phone away—”

  “For your protection. It could be traced easily.”

  She nodded. “I know, and that isn’t why anyway. Besides, you don’t have a landline, and even when I had Johnny’s phone after speaking with you I knew calling the police wasn’t the smart thing to do.” She stared at him, unmoving, unblinking, and not showing any emotion. “Because I knew they wouldn’t really be able to help.”

  She was a smart girl.

  “The cops wouldn’t have been able to handle this.”

  She nodded again. “Yeah, I assumed, and I also didn’t want to complicate things. I may not agree with the methods I’ve heard you have used to get your way, but in this instance I just want to survive.”

  The way she swallowed and shifted on the couch told him that she was afraid of him on some level. He knew that nothing he said could change how she felt deep inside, but he hoped that over time she could understand that he wasn’t going to let anything or anyone hurt her, him included. He shifted her so she was now on his lap, her legs draped over his and her head on his chest.

  “Does it surprise you that we are here right now?” he asked her softly.

  “What do you mean? With the shit going on, or literally right now?”

  “You on my lap, wearing my shirt, and smelling like me.”

  She was quiet for a moment, and then she spoke. “I am surprised, to be honest. I mean a year and up until I woke up in your apartment I swore
off of you because I knew you weren’t for me.” She pulled back and looked at him. “I honestly couldn’t stop the way I felt for you once I opened up. I don’t know if that means something is wrong with me, or if I was always meant to feel this way for you and just didn’t allow myself to, but either way there is no stopping it.”

  He grabbed the back of her head and kissed her hard. And then for the rest of the night he held her, kissed and touched her until they were both exhausted, and then took her to his room. Tomorrow was going to be fucking insane, and right now he just wanted to enjoy this moment with the woman he was falling hard for.

  Chapter Ten

  Joey went toward the strip club where he had been told to meet Carlos. He hadn't come alone, but he had Alex and Niklo parked a block down, and Little Johnny stationed in the alleyway behind the club. He didn't doubt Carlos had the people surrounding the place, afraid to be alone. If he was smart he'd have backup.

  Joey walked into the dim, smoky club, the music loud and obnoxious, and the girls’ nude and gyrating on silver poles. Two bouncers immediately stopped him. They frisked him for weapons, and once they confiscated his Glock and blade they let him continue forward. The strip club was the main revenue in this town, but only because Chawston was on the lower end of the money making rank in this area. The people that resided here were lowlifes, men that wanted drugs and sex, and women willing to give them the latter. Poverty was the staple of Chawston, a sad and pitiful congregation of life. But Joey knew that was why Carlos Gondalo had no trouble taking this shitty little village. Anyone with a little money and muscle could overrun this place. Joey had never needed nor wanted this territory, mainly because it wouldn't have made him enough money to be successful. Joey also wasn't about dealing with whores and junkies on a daily basis, so he had stuck with Bourbon and a few other smaller cities in the area to do his business.

  He saw Carlos sitting in a booth in the back of the club, and although there weren’t any of his crew sitting with him, Joey spotted three men standing close by. But what had him faltering for a second was the fact Kelly sat beside Carlos, her face looking like she was tired and high, and her outfit screaming obscene skankiness. Joey’s rage rose even higher, and what he pictured was Marra sitting in Kelly's spot, her face a mask of drugged out bliss and her soul screaming for help. Carlos had been using Kelly for whatever he saw fit, that was for sure, and it was clear he was using drugs to make her docile. If Joey hadn't already been here to end this in a brutal fucking way, seeing Kelly had just cemented Carlos and all of his crew’s slow and agonizing deaths.