Catching Bianca: A Dark Mafia Romance (Shadows of Obsession Book 4)
Catching Bianca: Chapter 34

As soon as we’re back in Columbus, I draw Bianca a hot bath. She was absentminded for most of the journey, her dainty fingers knitting an invisible sweater.

Even though we both calmed down while packing her bags, I kept stealing glances at her every few seconds on our ride here, reassuring myself that she’s beside me and safe.

It was only once I got her into my apartment, under the soft glow of the bathroom lights, that I felt I could exhale.

I called Carter before we hit the road, relaying the situation briefly. I kept the details to myself because Bianca was with me, and I didn’t want her reliving the nightmare again.

I expect he’ll show up soon, demanding more information.

Bianca stands at the bathroom door, arms wrapped around herself like they’re a shield against the world. “Do you think he’ll try again?” she asks, her voice softer than usual.

“He won’t get close again. Not here.” I pull her into the bathroom, my fingers grazing the hem of her blouse.

A faint smile plays at her lips, her gaze locked on my hands as I help her out of her clothes. There’s no hiding the heat creeping into her cheeks. I kneel in front of her, sliding her panties down her legs. Steam swirls in the air, carrying the scent of lavender from the bath salts. They relax my muscles when I push myself too hard at the gym. I sprinkled them in the bath in the hope they’ll help Bianca relax, too.

“Care to join me?” she asks, pointing at the tub. “If I remember correctly, you owe me an orgasm.”

I swat her ass gently. “You’ll get five later. Now hop in. Carter will be here soon, so you’re bathing alone.”

With a pout, she submerges into the tub, her beautiful body disappearing beneath the blanket of bubbles.

“Shout if you need me,” I say as I leave.

I’m halfway down the hallway when the knock comes. I fling the door open, not at all surprised to replace not one but three men outside my door. They move inside without waiting for an invitation, their tense shoulders and murderous expressions filling the space like an oncoming storm.

They move into the kitchen, Broadway taking his usual spot against the counter, arms crossed.

“What happened?” Carter demands, pulling up a stool beside Koby. “How did Vaughn replace her?”

“No idea.”

I give them the rundown: the market, Vaughn’s lackey, the chloroform, Bianca running for her life.

“She’s good,” Broadway says, shaking his head in something like admiration. “Keeping a level head like that? Most people would’ve frozen.”

“It’s only because she didn’t that she escaped. Vaughn must’ve been watching us for a while. He slipped through all my security systems.” I rake a hand through my hair. “This morning was well planned. Not a spur-of-the-moment situation. He knew where she’d be, and he made his move.”

Carter rubs his jaw, his eyes narrowing. “Did he say why he took her? Did he say anything?”

“Only that he missed her and would keep her safe.”

“Has she told you why she ran from him in the first place? You’re obviously close now, but we still don’t know why Vaughn wants her so badly. She’s hiding something.”

I grit my teeth, fists clenching at my sides. “Maybe she’s scared. Pressing her for details will push her away. She’ll tell me when she’s ready.”

“We don’t have the luxury of time,” Carter clips. “Figure out a way to make her talk. Until we know what she’s not telling us, we’re vulnerable. I won’t let her or anyone else put us at risk.”

I know he’s right. I get where this is coming from, but his tone drives me up the wall.

“You won’t trust me until I tell you how he drove me away, will you?” Bianca’s voice slices the growing tension.

We turn toward the doorway where she stands, dressed in one of my shirts, her wet hair dripping onto the floor.

“Promise you won’t tell Hailey,” she demands, glaring at Carter, her hands crossed over her chest.

“What does she have to do with any of this?”

“She’s his daughter and… what Vaughn did… I just found her. I don’t want her to hate me. Promise me you won’t tell.”

Carter lets out an irritated huff. Keeping secrets from his girl goes against everything he promised himself after he earned her trust back.

“Fine. But only if I decide the truth might hurt her.”

“It will. I told you he crossed a line.” She enters the kitchen, taking a seat opposite Carter. “The night I ran, I woke up and found him in my bed… masturbating.”

Rage claws my chest, the images her words paint tearing into me like the rusty-toothed blade Broadway inserted into Vincent’s neck. I take a step toward her, itching to pull her into my arms, but she holds up a hand, stopping me.

“He jerked off in your bed?” Koby asks, disbelief layering his tone. “You’ll have to elaborate.”

“You want to know what his dick looks like?” she snaps, defensive under the scrutiny. “He was drunk—”

“Being drunk doesn’t excuse jacking off over his stepdaughter,” Broadway pipes in.

“No, it doesn’t, but the blame is on me.” Bianca sighs, briefly hiding her face in her hands. “At least a bit. I should’ve left sooner. He’d been inappropriate when he was sober as well. He called me sweetheart, held my hand. One time he tucked me in when he thought I was asleep, brushed my hair over my ear. He kept saying I reminded him of his wife…”

Broadway makes a gagging sound. “That sick son of a bitch. Not to ruffle any feathers, Carter, but didn’t he used to say the same thing about Hailey?”

“Don’t,” Carter snaps in a low, threatening growl. The mere suggestion of Hailey not being one hundred percent safe or comfortable, even if it’s ancient history, sends this man over the edge. “Don’t fucking insinuate anything.”

Broadway straightens his spine. “Sorry, Boss. I’m sure she would’ve told you if—”

“He didn’t touch her,” Carter insists, rolling his shoulders as if to soothe the tension knotting his muscles. “No, this is a new item on Charles Vaughn’s list of fuck-ups.”

“I pushed him off the bed, grabbed my bag, and ran,” Bianca adds. “I didn’t know where I was going until I walked into the bus station.”

Koby exhales sharply, shaking his head. “That bastard’s losing it,” he mutters. “How much lower can he stoop?”

“It’s sick but it makes sense,” Broadway admits. “Vaughn’s been making one mistake after another since he lost his wife. He’s been trying to fill the void but keeps failing.”

“If he thinks he can replace her with you, he’ll try to grab you again,” Carter says. “You should’ve told me sooner. He’s obviously unstable. Unstable men are fucking dangerous.”

“It’s embarrassing,” she whispers.

“Why?” I ask, frowning. “You did nothing wrong.”

“I should’ve left sooner but it… it was crazy to even suspect he might be into me. He’s twice my age. I’m his stepdaughter. I didn’t have a normal father, so I kept telling myself that’s how dads act. They’re protective, they—Ugh, I was an idiot.”

“You weren’t,” I insist, crouching beside her, my hands on her thighs. “He abused your trust. That’s not on you.”

She looks like she’s about to argue some more, but Carter beats her to the punch. “There’ll be a rotation of men outside. Two at all times.”

“What’s the plan for Vaughn?” I ask.

I already have a plan. A very simple one: kill the fucker.

Carter’s jaw tightens, eyes narrowing as if he can hear my thoughts and doesn’t approve.

“He needs to be contained,” I press. “You know that. He’s losing his shit. Who know what he might try next?”

“You know I can’t kill him.”

The words hang in the air, the glaringly obvious reason left unsaid: Hailey. Despite everything Vaughn’s done, everything he still might do, Carter won’t issue a kill order on his future father-in-law. It’d hurt Hailey, which is the one thing Carter won’t ever entertain.

Broadway shifts against the counter. “You’re not thinking about letting him off the hook, are you? The man’s unhinged. You heard what Bianca said.”

“Nothing would give me more pleasure than putting a bullet in Vaughn’s head, Broadway, but that’s not happening. He’s unhinged because he’s grieving. He needs help, not an execution.”

Broadway’s eyes damn near bulge out of their sockets. There’s more at the tip of his tongue, I can tell, but he swallows his opinions. Pushing Carter when Hailey’s at the heart of this mess is not a good idea.

“We don’t need to kill him,” I say, navigating the minefield of Carter’s emotions. “But we need to contain him. Catch him. Bring him in. Lock him up. He’s a liability.”

The silence stretches, tension thick enough to choke on for a few torturous moments, before Carter nods, squaring his shoulders. “I’ll figure something out.”

It’s not the answer I want, but it’s progress.

Broadway pushes off the counter, stretching his arms over his head. “Well, if we’re quite done here…”

“For now,” Carter agrees. “There’s still Jax to discuss, but that’ll wait. Get some rest,” he tells Bianca. “I want you both in Scarlett tomorrow night.”

They shuffle out of the kitchen, and less than a minute later, I close the door behind them. The condo immediately feels lighter, the stormy cloud Carter brought with him gone.

Bianca’s still at the breakfast bar, massaging her temples as if she wants to erase the past thirty minutes.

“You okay?” I ask, standing in the kitchen doorway.

She lifts her gaze, lips curving into a faint smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Getting there.”

I watch her for a moment, my chest tightening, heart swelling three sizes. She’s here, safe, mine, but the weight of the morning still clings to her like a second skin.

“Come here,” I say, holding out a hand.

She hesitates for a beat before she moves. Once her fingers lace with mine, I tug her closer.

“You’re safe. He’s not getting anywhere near you again.” I curl my finger under her chin, forcing her to look at me. “I promise. You’ve been through hell. Tell me what you need.”

Her breath catches, and the tension in her shifts, morphs into something other than fear and exhaustion. Something I crave every minute of every day… desire.

“You,” she says, the word dripping with intent. “I need you.”

My control snaps like a cable under too much tension. I grip her waist, pull her flush against me, and take her mouth in a deep, greedy kiss. She melts against me, her fingers tangling in my hair, body pressing into mine like she can’t get close enough.

We’ve kissed a hundred times this past week, but this kiss is different. More urgent, more consuming. Tinged with the feelings that hit me straight in the gut when Arthur said she’d been taken.

Feelings so strong they knock the breath clean out of my chest and make my heartrate soar.

I haul her up and sit her on the edge of the counter. Her soft gasp hits my ears when my hands slide beneath the hem of her t-shirt—my t-shirt—and skim along her bare thighs.

“Ryder,” she breathes, a mix of plea and demand.

“I’m here, baby.” I grip her thighs, pull her closer, and kiss her harder, my teeth grazing her bottom lip before latching onto her pulse point.

She’s beautiful like this—head thrown back, cheeks flushed, eyes hooded with lust. And she’s mine.

She grips the hem of my t-shirt, tugging until I break away long enough to let her pull it over my head. It lands on the floor and Bianca’s dainty fingers explore my chest, her touch leaving a warm trail in its wake.

I dip my hand between her legs. I push her panties aside and dip two fingers into her pussy, groaning at how tight she feels. “Still getting there?”

“Getting closer.”

“Good girl. I promised you five orgasms, didn’t I?”

She shuts me up with a kiss, trembling all over when I curl my fingers, dragging them over her G spot. A string of breathless moans, gasps, and incoherent words fill my ear while she tries kissing my neck.

I love those little noises she makes.

“Take your t-shirt off,” I demand, inching away so she has room to follow the order.

She wastes no time, yanking it over her head. Her boobs spill out, candy-hard nipples begging for my touch. I dip my head, sucking one into my mouth, my fingers pistoning in and out of her faster. She floods my hand, her orgasm building, so close it perfumes the air.

“Oh God, I… I—”

“Come, Summer. Come for me, baby.”

Her pussy clenches around my fingers, pulsing in time with the quaking of her legs as the orgasm hits. The volume of her moans grows as she claws my back, surrendering to the high.

“That’s one,” I tut against her temple, then inch back and lick her clean off my fingers. “Hop off and stand there.” I point toward the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the city.

“I’m naked, Ryder. Someone might see.”

“Someone might,” I agree. “Hands on the glass.”

She swallows hard, looks between me and the window, then slowly slides off the counter, getting in position. Her fingers tremble a little as she spreads them against the cool window.

I stalk up behind her, one hand on her throat, the other pulling my cock out of my pants. I push my knee between her legs, spreading her wider.

“There’s someone in the apartment opposite,” she whispers as if afraid they’ll hear if she talks louder.

I wonder if she’ll turn around, shove me back, and storm away, or if she’ll let me fuck her while she watches the world pass by below.

“What if they look over here? It’s broad daylight.” Despite the soft whisper, her words are thick with both fear and thrill.

She’s embarrassed but turned on, her arousal painting her thighs as I line up my cock with her entrance. I push in slowly, my lips hovering over her ear.

“You’re gorgeous.”

She gasps, her hands balling into tight fists when I bottom out inside her, my cock throbbing. “I… I didn’t realize you don’t mind people seeing me like this.”

“On your toes,” I grit out, grazing her earlobe with my teeth. “Eyes on the street below.”

She rises as high as possible and juts her ass back, giving me more room. I snake my arm around her middle, my fingers sinking into her throat a touch harder as I let the hungry, primal part of me take the reins.

Bianca gasps, her moans mixing with the sound of our flesh meeting when I fuck into her with deep, hurried thrusts.

“He’s looking right at me,” she mewls, her cheek against the mirror, pussy choking my cock every time I get balls-deep.

“Who is?”

“There.” She points at the building across the street where a man stands by the window.

I smirk, moving one hand between her legs to toy with her clit. “Show him how pretty you are when you come for me.”

“God, you’re—oh, yes! Don’t stop.”

The pace of my hips rocking back and forth gains momentum. I sync every thrust with my fingers rolling her clit. She’s so sensitive, already overstimulated from that first orgasm, that coaxing another doesn’t take long.

“There, right there, baby,” I tut in her ear before sucking her pulse point. “Don’t fight it. Fucking come.”

Another three, maybe four thrusts and the high hits. The back of her head touches my shoulder, lips part to let out a symphony of erotic moans, and the look on her face, the pure, unrestrained ecstasy pulls me over the edge with her.

I still with my cock deep inside, warm cum flooding her pussy. Bianca’s delirious in my arms, her hands kneading her breasts, body trembling with the aftershocks.

“Absolutely gorgeous.” I kiss the side of her face. “That’s two. You’ll get the other three later.”

She chuckles softly. “Do you think he liked the show?”

“He didn’t see a thing. You’re for my eyes only.” I nose a line down her cheek, kiss her jaw and spin her around. “The glass in this building works like a two-way mirror. No one can see inside.”

She whacks my chest. “Why did you make me think I was flashing my boobs for everyone to see?!”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t enjoy it.” I catch her chin between two fingers. “You were dripping. You loved the thrill. And I love knowing you’ll let me take you wherever I want.”

“I lose half my brain cells when you touch me.”

“Good. I barely have any when I’m inside you.”