He's My Man (Part 2)
Summary: The reader isn't quite so sure if she can trust Russell with her secrets but he's decided she's going to get his help, whether she wants it or not. Reluctantly she accepts but in the process realizes she might actually be starting to care about him...
Masterlist
Pairing: Russell Shaw x reader
Word Count: 4,500ish
Warnings: language, gun shot injury mention, mentions of death, angst, fluff
A/N: Ooooh things are heating up! Please enjoy!
__________
Russell stared at you with what one could only describe as a look of wonder. You didnât exactly blame him. Eating four large cheese danishes and chugging back a weekâs worth of coffee in the span of fifteen minutes was enough to make anyoneâs eyes widen.
You tossed your trash in his motel waste bin when you finished and returned to your seat at the tiny corner table. With an obnoxiously loud slurp of even more coffee, Russell titled his head, shaking it slightly.
âGood god. You have never been more attractive to me, which is saying something.â You slurped again, Russell letting his curiosity in your eating habits fade away in favor of the elephant in the room. He straightened in his seat, pausing a beat. âSo. Whatâs this long story?â
Your fingertips rattled against the side of the large styrofoam cup, a small amount of heat radiating through. Now that youâd had some time to think, or rather stress eat, you knew this was a mistake. A big one. You needed to kick Russell out of your life and the sooner the better.
âI think you have the wrong idea about whatâs going on and I thought it better we talk in private,â you said. Russell wore a weary expression, his eyes dissecting your every micro-movement. âIâm not interested in a relationship or a date or conversation. I donât do that considering my line of work and I imagine you keep things casual with yours. So you take your money and consider this a warning. Contact me again and I will have you dealt with, understand?â
Russell leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms with a clenched jaw. You narrowed your eyes in response, Russell picking at his bandage without realizing.Â
âStop that,â you mumbled when he kept doing it, his lip twitching up in a not so friendly way.
âYou threaten me and in the next breath are worried about my damn stitches? I donât think you realize just how good I am at my job,â he said, placing both hands on the table, folding them together. You swallowed, Russell staring so intently you had to glance away. âAlright. Back at the coffee shop, that was a moment of bravery and now itâs passed? Tough shit. Weâre in the weeds now and we ainât leaving until I know you do your job of your own free will. Understand?â
âForget I said anything.â You stood up, Russell matching the movement and catching your bicep before you could take a step. Yes, he was injured but even one armed, he had enough raw strength in him to keep you from leaving.
âTell me or I dig on my own and make things a lot riskier for both of us.â He dropped his hand, nodding to the seat. Russell sighed. âI trusted you. You can do the same.â
âYouâre one guy.â You shook your head. âDrop this or youâll wind up dead or worse.â
âI made my living doing jobs where if I fucked up Iâd wish I were dead over the alternative. I know how to keep a secret. Maybe I can help, maybe I canât. But you opened the box. You canât just close it again.â
âYes, I can. Goodbye, Russell.â You grabbed your coffee and headed for the door, pausing when you had a hand on the handle.
But what if he could helpâŚhe was ex-special opsâŚ
Russellâs hand slid over yours, giving it a gentle squeeze. You frowned, a reassuring smile greeting you.
âDo you like your job?â he asked.Â
âSâcomplicated,â you whispered.
âHow complicated?â
âJobs like yoursâŚthatâs up to me to do that stuff but IâŚI work for someone else.â You found Russellâs unreadable green eyes and sighed. âIâm a fixer for the local mafia. Itâs not a job you get to quit and stay alive very long.â
Russell contemplated your words, lips forming a thin line before he nodded. âI can take care of that assuming your story checks out.â
âMy story?â you asked, Russell humming. âWhy would I lie-â
âYou could be playing me for any number of reasons. Like I said, Iâm going to check your story out and if itâs all kosher, weâll figure out where to go from there. Capiche?â
âFine,â you grit out, shaking his hand away. âBut do it quietly. You got three days.â
Late Evening
Your eye actually twitched when you answered your front door that night to find not your pizza delivery man before you but Russell fucking Shaw. He wore a deep navy utility jacket that hung loosely around his trim waist and a pair of black jeans. You werenât sure why but his shift from lighter colored clothing this morning to this dark, edgy look made him look as dangerous as you expected he was.
âRussell,â you said. He didnât bother hiding his smirk, eyes roaming over your body. You glanced down at your soft pale yellow pajama shirt and matching shorts set, huffing when he slipped past you inside.
âYou totally are the kind of woman to having matching jammies,â he chuckled. You gripped the door tight, ready to kick him out just as your delivery driver pulled up.
âJustâŚtake off your boots.â Two minutes later you had your pizza and garlic knots on your kitchen counter while Russell leaned back against it, his jacket since removed and tossed on the back of your couch. He wore a black zip up that was undone over a black t-shirt, Russell shifting at your growing unease.
âListen,â he said, holding up his hands. âYou got questions but first off, Iâm not here to hurt you. This is just what I wear when I need to goâŚlooking around places I ainât exactly invited into.â
âLike my home?â He stared blankly, eyes drifting down to your chest. âThe flirting was cute. Eye-fucking me in my kitchen, not so much.â
âYou have sauce all over your shirt.â You glanced down, spotting marinara drops all over your short sleeve button up top from where youâd had the edge of the pizza box pressed against your torso as youâd carried it in. âThanks for thinking so highly of me, though. Makes a guy feel special.â
âIâm on edge, alright?â you snapped, grabbing a towel and trying to get most of the sauce out. âPlus I just ruined a two hundred dollar shirt.â
âFigured you for a oversized menâs t-shirts kind of gal but little sets from french boutiques suites you.â You froze, Russell dropping his hands. âI know all about your shopping habits. You have high quality taste, much richer than the average suburbanite.â
âAnd?â you said, tossing the towel down, hands going to your hips. âAre you about to kidnap me and turn me over to the mafia or what?â
Russell approached you slowly, gently picking up the towel from the floor and dabbing it with some dish soap.Â
âIf I had wanted to hurt you or take you or whatever else is going through your head, you wouldnât have seen me coming.â He rubbed the towel against the damp spot on your shirt, letting the fabric get soapy. âLet that soak for a few minutes and then after you have some dinner, toss it in the wash. Itâll come out good as new.â
âHow do you know that?â you asked, Russell hanging your towel on the oven handle.Â
âBecause knowing how to get stains out of all types of fabrics is kind of necessary in my line of work,â he said, opening a few cabinets before finding the one with the plates. âNow. Can you put the knife you thought you grabbed without me seeing back and we have a civilized conversation over pizza?â
You werenât sure how heâd seen you swipe the knife from the butchers block but figured he had a point. If heâd wanted to screw you over, he would have done it already. After excusing yourself, you returned in a pair of skinny black joggers and a slightly cropped gray AC/DC shirt to find Russell had already plated two sizeable portions for yourselves.Â
âSee? Now thatâs a look more fitting for the princess of darkness,â he chuckled.
âThatâs queen of darkness to you,â you said, taking a seat at the island in front of one of the plates. âDo me a favor, lover boy. Grab me a guinness from the fridge.â
âDark stout. Always a good choice.â He got out two, removing the cap for you before retreating to the other side of the island.
âAs much as I love uninvited house guests who welcome themselves to my food and beer, why are you here, Russell?â You took a large bite of pizza, Russell long necking his beer for a moment.Â
âYet I donât see you kicking me out. Itâs okay to admit youâve fallen for me, Y/N,â he teased. You growled, Russellâs eyebrows raising in amusement. âHot damn, woman. I love when you get all grr. Tells me you are a force to be reckoned with.â
You rolled your eyes, Russell taking an extra large bite. âStop flirting and talk.â
âWhy canât I do both?â he asked, not waiting for an answer. âBut to answer your original question, Iâm here because your story checked out and thatâs kind of a problem.â
âExcuse me? Why is that an issue?â
He set his plate down and gripped the island, leaning over it slightly. âY/N. I can call up a few friends and wipe out a local mafia family no problem.â
âAwesome. Then whatâs the fucking problem?â Russell tilted his head, like youâd just walked into some kind of trap heâd set.
âY/N. Despite all the obvious sexual tension brewing between us, you failed to mention that you have a boyfriend. You know, the head of this fucking mafia family. The boyfriend that buys you those fancy french pajama sets? The one that bought that espresso machine over there? Girl, you better explain yourself because I am not a hired gun.â
You chewed quietly for a few moments under the heated scrutiny of Russellâs gaze before you pushed the plate away.
âMy dad was an accomplished doctor. He was very well respected. I grew up very comfortably until I was about eight.â Russell loosened his stance and began to eat while you decided what he needed to absolutely know. âMy dad unknowingly saved a mobsterâs life one night in the ER. Mr. Lauter.â
âThe former head of the mafia and this guy, Owen, your supposed boyfriendâs dad?â You nodded before taking a big swig from your bottle.
âWell, that pissed off Mr. Elpine who had almost had a successful hit on Mr. Lauter. Elpine tried to get my dad to kill Lauter. Dad refused and the next morning on the way to school, the brake lines in our car didnât work. Dad and I walked away. Mom and my brother didnât. Dad was scared Elpine would come after me again.â
âYour father went to Lauter for protection,â said Russell. You picked up your pizza as he put together the rest of the pieces. âLauter offers him protection for saving his life but something happens and your dad ends up working for Lauter as his fixer.â
âThe paranoia got to dad. He would take me on these weekend hunting trips all the time and teach me survival skills and medical stuff and I was a fucking kid, Russell. I didnât want to do that shit but dad wasâŚtwitchy. PTSD for sure, a mental break too. I always guessed there was some brain trauma after the accident that never healed. He got real bad when I went to college. Bad enough that Lauter stepped in when my dad attacked me when I came home for the holidays. Lauter killed him and the fucked up part was I wasnât even upset. My real dad had died when I was a kid. ButâŚwhen a mob boss kills for you whether you wanted them to or not-â
âThey think they own you for life.â You nodded. âSo you became the fixer.â
âThey let me finish college under the condition I come back and work for the family. They leave me be except for when I need to patch someone in the crew up. Itâs honestly not that bad. They gave me a lot of money over the years. I hate to say this but Mr. Lauter was pretty good to me.â
Russell cleared his throat. âYou do know how fucked up what he did to you is, right?â
âOf course I do,â you said, closing your eyes. âBut compared to my dad and Owen, he was the lesser evil.â
âI came across the fact Mr. Lauter died about three weeks ago from heart disease.â You hummed. âTell me about this fuckface, Owen.â
âDude has had a crush on me since he was fucking twelve. He has it in his head that the family owns me, literally. Lauter always reined him in but since heâs been gone, Owenâs beenâŚpushy. Telling the crew Iâm his girlfriend, asking them to follow me. Thankfully, and this is why this is so weird, I grew up around a lot of the guys. Making me work and fix people, fine. But some kind of forced romance? They arenât cool with it, at least theyâre kind of ignoring Owen. Iâve kept Owen off my back because heâs grieving and busy trying to take over but heâs going to back on my ass soon. This time, those guys will have to listen to their new boss.â
âSoâŚI take out Owen and you think youâre in the clear. You could have just said that.â He finished off his beer and washed his hands at the sink. âHereâs what weâre going to do. Youâre going grab essentials, and I mean essentials, while I pack up your dinner in what I expect is some color coordinated tupperware. Then youâre going to take my car and drive to Elmhurst Camping Grounds. Itâs about four hours north of here and no, you will stop for anything so use the bathroom before you go and Iâll pack you a snack. Youâre going to park in the visitors lot and go to the airstream in lot 4. Itâll be isolated. You knock on the door and thereâll be a guy inside. Colter. You stay with him, go wherever he goes and do whatever he tells you to without question. You donât leave his side until I come and get you, understand?â
âI feel like if I ask questions youâll just tell me I donât want to know.â Russell smirked.
âI love that big brain of yours.â You rolled your eyes but felt a tiny smile on your face. âWarming up to me are we?â
âFuck no. But uh, who the hell are you sending me to?â
âMy baby brother. Donât worry. His ugly mug will keep you safe.â
Four Hours Later
âUh, hi,â you said, practically bouncing up and down at midnight in front of a strange tall man at a very nice airstream RV.Â
âY/N,â he said as you forced a smile. âBathroom is right there-â
You darted past him and into the small cubby bathroom, grateful after the long drive. The man was waiting leaned against a small counter space when you exited, a temporary bed made up behind him in what looked like a breakfast nook.
âSorry to barge in. Russell said not to stop for anything.âÂ
âSâalright,â he said. âBedâs made up if you want to crash. Iâm going to stay up a bit longer by the fire. Youâre welcome to join if you like.â
âThanks, uhâŚâ you said, a very brief smile on his face as you tried to remember what Russell had called him.
âColter. Itâs not a problem.â He skirted by you and outside, taking a seat in a foldable camping chair. You had questions but for the moment, all you wanted was to get some rest.Â
You woke up around six thirty, jolting up in your bed to find a very wet and nearly naked Colter trying to pick up a mug heâd dropped.Â
âWell good morning,â you said, his hand in a death grip on the towel just barely concealing him away.
âMorning,â he said, slowly backing up to the bedroom. âDidnât mean to wake you.â
âNot a problem,â you said, catching a whiff of coffee.Â
âMug are in the first cabinet if you want a cup. Iâll be out in a minute,â he said. He excused himself to his room and slid the divider shut, leaving you to the rest of the airstreamer.Â
A moment later you were outside in front of a small fire, sitting in a chair with warm coffee in your hands. It was cool and you wished youâd thought to pack a jacket in your haste last night.
You were rubbing your arms when something was draped over your shoulders, a thick heavy hoodie.Â
âRussell got you out of there pretty quick, huh?â asked Colter, taking the mug while you shrugged into the warm fleece.
âYeah. All I grabbed was my wallet, some cash and my computer. He told me I could buy clothes here,â you said. Colter handed you back the mug and took a seat beside you.
âI checked his car. He had a duffel full of his clothes in there I brought inside. You can use his stuff, or mine, until we can hit a store.â
âThanks,â you said, smelling Russellâs deodorant on the fabric. Colter saw you tug the hood up, a question on the tip of his tongue but he decided against it. The air was still and quiet apart from the crackle of fire and morning birds.Â
âSo,â said Colter, not looking at you as he drank. âYou and RussellâŚyou like, his girlfriend-â
âNo,â you said, shaking your head. âI just met the guy yesterday. All I did was patch him up.â
âRight.â You sunk lower in your chair, slurping loudly.
âWere you special ops like him?â you asked. Colter shook his head.
âCivilian. Never had any formal training, just what we grew up with.â Well, that was an interesting statement. What the hell did it mean though? âOur father was a survivalist, taught us things.â
âOh. My dad was a little out there too.â Was that why Russell was so adamant about helping you out of your situation? No. Maybe it played a part, but no. Heâd wanted to help before you told him that. âDoes Russell do this sort of thing often?â
âNo clue. First time I talked to him in years was two days ago. I helped him find a friend of his. I was there when he got that bullet hole in him you fixed.â
Alrighty then. Russell was becoming more and more intriguing by the second.Â
âSo you donât know a lot about him then,â you said. Colter shrugged.
âI guess Iâm figuring him out too but heâs a good guy. Heâs somebody you want as a friend.â You hummed, finishing your coffee off. Colter excused himself to get you more and returned with a fresh cup, steam billowing from within.Â
âYou trail run?â you asked, Colterâs eyes showing a flash of surprise. âMuddy sneakers by the door. I did cross country in school.â
âI try to get out most mornings. The hot water should be good to go in about five minutes if you want a shower.âÂ
âThanks.â You licked your lips as you remembered the sight of him exiting the bathroom not long ago. Sure, Colter was hot but RussellâŚwell the image of that man in nothing but a towel as water dripped down his bodyâŚYou shifted in your seat, squeezing your legs together to try and get a hold of yourself. Colter smirked slightly in his seat. âWhat?â
âIâm good at reading people is all.â
âAnd? What am I saying?â you asked, staring him down. Colter only smiled as he looked away to the fire.
âYouâre wondering if Russell works out and picturing him naked.â You glared at him but it did nothing to hide the heat radiating off your cheeks. âHey, youâre a grown woman. You can do as you please.â
âI think I will take that shower now.â You stood and set the mug down on the ground, shooting Colter one last look. Thereâd been no malice or teasing in his voice. He was simply being straight with you. âListen. I justâŚI havenât exactly been around good guys much, or ever. Iâm not saying thereâs anything there beyond physical attraction, okay?â
âOkay,â he said, looking at you like you were the worst liar in the world. âWhatever you say.â
You grumbled and went inside to take a very cold shower.
Three Days Later - Spokane, Washington
âHey, Colt,â you said, pushing up the long sleeves of Russellâs gray henley you wore. Colter hummed around the piece of grilled chicken in his mouth as you spun your laptop around from the other side of the airstreamâs dining table. âCould she have gone here? Looks like a decommissioned game trail.â
âYeah, yeah that fits,â he said with his mouth full, chewing and swallowing quickly so he could take a closer look. You returned to your own dinner, Colter mentioning he was going to take a look after dark.Â
Things had fallen into an easy pattern with the two of you. Colter was very different than his brother but it wasnât a bad thing. He didnât talk much and worked as a rewardist. Heâd planned on sticking around the east coast for when Russell met up with you again but an urgent case in Washington popped up. Youâd spent most of the past three days driving cross-country behind Colterâs truck and the airstreamer, learning what the hell a rewardist was.
Colter had told you about the case at first to keep your mind off of Russell but youâd reluctantly taken an interest and now were deep in the weeds of helping him locate a missing young woman.
âYou want to come look with me?â asked Colter, breaking you out of your train of thought. You blinked, a small smile on his face. âCome on. Itâll get you some experience with rewardest work and stop you from doom scrolling.â
âAlright,â you sighed. While you appreciated Colterâs attempts to make you feel better, you were starting to get very concerned. You hadnât heard from Russell since you left your house a few days ago and there was nothing in the news about the local mafia members being killed. Or him.
Colter rubbed your back when you helped him unhook it from the airstream. He tended to do that when you started to get stressed out. He hadnât been lying before. He really was good at reading people.Â
âColter,â you said in the dark truck, the hum of the vehicle quiet in the cab as he drove. âWhat if something happened to him and he needs our help?â
âHe knows what heâs doing. A job like this, heâs got to do a lot of prep work and heâs got to put a crew together. Trusted friends. Try not to worry.â You bit your bottom lip as you stared out the window, trees passing by.Â
If only it were that simple.
It was two in the morning by the time you and Colter made it back to the camping grounds. Youâd found Martha in not too great of shape but she was alive and the doctors said sheâd make a full recovery with time. Colter has tried to give you some of the reward money for helping but you hadnât done all that much in your opinion.Â
âStay here,â he said when he turned the truck into your lot and you spotted a dark figure sitting by the fire. He took his gun from the back of jeans and got out, pausing halfway out the door. He smiled over at you and you caught the dark figure give an awkward little wave. âShould I tell him how much youâve been worried?â
âNot. A. Word. Colter,â you said before hopping out and happily rushing over to where Russell rose to his feet. You didnât realize you were giving him a hug until he was laughing, returning it and lifting you off the ground.Â
âI missed my queen of darkness too,â he chuckled, setting you down with a smirk. You scoffed, Russellâs eyebrows raising at your attire. âIs that my jacket? And shirt?â
âWhy waste the money on new stuff,â you shrugged, Russell grinning like an idiot. âStop that.â
âIâm sure that was the reason.â Colter came over, the boys sharing a nod. âYou keep my little delinquent out of trouble?â
âSheâs a breeze,â said Colter, taking a seat. âEven helped with my latest case. She should try the rewardist thing. Sheâs good at it.â
âMaybe. All I want to know is am I good?â you asked. Russell took your hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. He nodded, the tension running of out your body. âThank you, Russell. Thank your friends too. Iâll pay you guys-â
âNo payment. This was because youâre my friend, plain and simple. Just knowing youâre safe is more than enough.â You smiled, letting yourself rest your head against his shoulder. âYou should rest. Weâll talk in the morning.â
âHow-â
âIn the morning. I need to catch up with my little brother.â You nodded, enjoying the feel of his heavy hand as it ran over your head. âGo sleep, Y/N. Youâre exhausted.â
You reluctantly peeled yourself away and went inside to find your makeshift bed had been done up for you already. You didnât even try to fight the flutters in your stomach when you spotted a yellow pajama shirt and shorts set neatly folded on top. There was a note beside it, a stupid ass smile finding itâs way onto your face.
Brand new. Imported from France. Donât get used to fancy ass presents like these. I ainât made of money. Even if these are soft as fuck and I totally wish they made these for men. I still think youâd look better wearing a band tee to bed.
Russ
P.S. They had a sale so I got you something else too. Check your backpack.
You shook your head and grabbed your bag from the floor, taking out a very elegant black bag. You undid the tissue paper and went wide eyed.Â
Inside was a very, very, fancy black lace bra and multiple pairs of gorgeous bikini style undies in soft muted colors. There was another note waiting for you inside, your heart stilling.
No strings attached. Hopefully these will cover you for a little while until you can get settled again.
âOh, Russell,â you said quietly, thumbing over the bag, smiling to yourself as your insides did very happy backflips.
He wasnât just a pretty and protective face. He was thoughtful too.
And you were starting to fall for a guy thatâd most likely be gone by this time tomorrow.
Fuck.
__________
A/N: Part 3 coming soon!
209 notes
¡
View notes