Free Deliverance (The Maverick Defense #1) by L.A. Cotton, Jenny Siegel Page A

like our own private party. Men tried to muscle their way in with offers of drinks and promises of a good time, but Sherri kept them at bay. She knew the last thing I needed was Donnie beating on some guy who was thinking with his dick and not his brain.
    “We’re heading out,” Lyla announced with a slight slur to her words. “A couple of the guys are driving us.”
    “Who?” Sherri barked seeming far too sober for the number of drinks we’d consumed, but that was Sherri—she rarely let her guard down and always made sure the girls got back safely.
    “Stu and Barkley. Stu has a thing for Paula, I think.” She giggled nudging the petite girl next to her.
    “Ours or theirs?”
    “Geez, Sherri, lighten up. They’re okay guys, better than some of the pigs Donnie sends our way. Let us have our fun, will you?”
    “Okay, okay.” Sherri held her hands up. “You call me if there are any problems. Now, get out of here. I’ll see you both tomorrow.”
    Lyla grabbed Paula’s hand and pulled her in the direction of two guys I recognized as some of Donnie’s men. Stu, the taller one with dark hair, was around a lot. He seemed okay, but so did many of the guys, until shit went bad and then they morphed into hard-fisted men that you didn’t want to mess with.
    “What about you, Joy, you heading out?”
    I snapped my head around to meet Sherri’s questioning eyes. “Hmm, I-”
    A deep voice said, “No, she’s sticking around. Right, baby?” Donnie’s hand snaked around my waist and tugged me back. My body hit a wall of muscle and dread pooled in my stomach.
    “She’s pretty wasted, Don. I’ll get her home for you, that way you can stay and take care of things here?” Sherri’s eyes flickered to mine full of concern.
    Donnie tensed behind me. “I’ll take care of her now. You can go. Thanks, Sherri.”
    Silently, I pleaded with Sherri to walk away. She pursed her lips ready for an argument, but I shook my head discreetly. Leave it.
    “Okay, I’m out of here. Call me tomorrow, darlin’. Night, Don. You take good care of my girl.”
    “ My girl,” Donnie growled as we watched Sherri walk away. His warm breath brushed my neck causing my body to shudder. “Let’s get out of here.”
    I didn’t have a chance to answer as Donnie’s hand pressed firmly against the small of my back and he guided me through the room to the private exit reserved for staff only. Troy was already waiting at the Escalade. He nodded curtly as he opened the door and we slipped inside.
    We traveled the short distance to Donnie’s apartment in silence. The beat-down buildings of Chancing passed by in a hazy blur as I leaned my head against the glass while Donnie’s hand gripped my knee. He was still angry. I could sense it in his brooding mood, the way he dug his fingers into my skin a little too tightly. I was beginning to regret asking Sherri to get rid of the coke. At least, if I were high, my mind would be somewhere else.
    Troy parked the Escalade in front of Donnie’s building, and Donnie leaned forward to whisper something in his ear. I inhaled deeply trying to clear the vodka fogging my brain. If I weren’t high, maybe I could try to appeal to Donnie’s less vicious side.
    Unlikely.
    Troy exited the car and came around to open the door for us. I climbed out and waited for Donnie. He wasted no time ushering me into the building. It was one of the nicer buildings in town. No boarded-up windows or broken doors. No hookers hanging around on the corner of the block. Donnie didn’t like to eat or shit where he did business.
    The whole building was DeLuca property. The ground floor was occupied by a retail unit—Donnie’s attempt at a legitimate business. The second floor housed two apartments that Donnie rented out; one to his younger cousin, and the other, to an old lady who had known his mom. The top floor had been renovated into a huge open-plan apartment with one master bedroom and en suite. It was something else,