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Why should I be ashamed of that? Why should I feel bad for letting that dick know I wouldn't sit back and take his shit?

Maybe Nick was right. I was a part of this business, and sometimes that meant getting dirty. I wasn't afraid to get a little dirty.

“I made sure they knew we were serious.”

“And?”

“And now he knows that he needs to watch what he says to people he doesn't know.”

“What did he say to you? Did he try to do something to you?” Birch's muscles puffed up as he started to breathe heavily. “I'll kill that motherfucker if—”

Placing my hand on his cheek, I rubbed my thumb up and down. “I'm fine, Babe, he didn't try to hurt me.”

Hurt, that was a word I knew all too well.

But I hadn't felt it in a really long time.

Little did I know, my future was about to be filled with a lot more hurt than I could handle.