Page 4 of Avenging Azalea (California Made Men #2)

“I was ordered off the property and told not to come back. I didn’t mean to ruin anything, I swear,” I said, wrapping my arms around myself.

The guard looked a little skeptical but right on the fence.

“My stepfather is going to kill me. He keeps telling me I’m useless, and here I am, not able to hold down a job for a single day.

” Tears ran freely, my body shook, and I could picture exactly what I looked like.

“Hey, don’t worry, it happens to all of us. I lost my first job, too. No one got hurt, and it’s just flowers. Not that Mrs. Wallace will think that. She is very particular about her gardens.” I nodded, thankful that I’d said something believable. “Do you have a ride?”

“I’ve got money for the bus. I’ll be fine.”

“You sure you don’t want me to call someone?”

I shook my head. “No, it’s just me and my stepfather, and…I really want to avoid him for now.”

The guard sighed like he intended to argue but stepped into the booth and handed me some napkins. I blew my nose and wiped at my eyes as he hit a button, and a smaller man-sized door in the gate opened.

“I’m really sorry you lost your job, but you’ll find another.”

“Thank you. I really hope so.”

The gate closed behind me with a clang. Pulling out the phone that Titus had given me, I brought up the map and started walking in the direction of the bus stop.

Each step felt like my shoes were weighed down.

A distinct conflict was brewing inside of me.

For the first time in a long time, there was something I wanted.

Yet, my heart ached, and guilt hung around my neck at the thought of not at least trying to save George. He was only eight. I needed to get him out of there.

It was obvious now that I couldn’t go back to what my life had been. The last three weeks had shown me a future that was beyond my wildest dreams. It would take me longer on my own, but I was capable of looking after my little brother.

I was never meant for the world that Titus lived in, but that didn’t mean I had to stay a ghost. I could carve something new. Something mine. A life not defined by fear-soaked nights or the scars others left behind. A life that I chose.

TITUS

“I’ll be by around ten,” I said as I flipped through the file on my desk.

“Yes, the vacuum seal on the packages was good. No, I won’t be eating tonight.

I have another meeting.” I smiled at the berating from Mrs. Chen, who loved it when I stayed to eat.

“Okay, see you then.” Hitting end, I set the phone down on the desk.

I hated lying to Mrs. Chen, but I really wanted to go home, relax, and hear about Fawn’s day.

The Chens were my last stop tonight, and they had been working with us longer than any other business.

I had memories of going to their restaurant with my father when I was as young as ten, and now there was an ease to our relationship.

They felt like family, and I regularly stopped in to eat even when I didn’t have anything to pick up.

There hadn’t been a single complaint since I’d been delegated to laundered money retrieval.

That wasn’t exactly true. My father didn’t like how friendly I was with the owners or the bonuses I gave out.

He preferred that the Mikhailov name be feared while I wanted to create loyalty, and you didn’t do that by beating them into submission.

They knew what we were capable of, and some had seen it firsthand, but there was a time and a place with any discipline. Why turn them into snarling dogs in a cage when you could have relationships that were long-lasting and built on mutual respect and trust?

So far, I’d won the argument with my father and Ronan, who were more aligned in their thinking. I wasn’t a fool, though. It had nothing to do with them respecting my choice and everything to do with the money pouring into our coffers. It was hard to argue with success.

The girls’ collars jingled as they raised their heads a moment before a hard knock sounded at the door. “Come in,” I called out.

I knew it was Ronan before he opened the door. He always knocked the same way, like the door had offended him, and he was trying to beat it into an apology.

“Brother,” I said in greeting.

Shadow and Sheba had gotten up off their beds and now stood in the middle of the room, staring at Ronan. Their ears stood in points as they held perfectly still. They were Black Shepherds and, with their golden eyes, looked more like wolves out of a fantasy novel than dogs.

“Are you going to tell them to lay down or something,” Ronan asked, not stepping inside any further.

It was tempting to tell them to eat him instead. I snapped my fingers and pointed to their beds. They obeyed without question, something that Ronan never did.

Ignoring him, I finished scribbling my signature across the latest financial projections on our family holdings.

Nathaniel was a hell of a smart businessman.

With just a few suggestions from him, our gains had increased.

There would be no stopping him once he came on full-time after graduation.

He’d actually finished his degree two years ago but kept signing up for classes so he could play hockey.

Father didn’t know. Their relationship had reached a point that even I, the hopeful optimistic, didn’t believe it was repairable.

Ronan perused my office as if he was searching for bugs or hidden cameras.

Rolling my eyes, I opened my desk drawer and pulled out two glasses and a bottle of vodka.

Pouring us both a drink, I sat back and watched my brother.

It was hard picturing him as the future head of the family.

He was almost as ruthless as my father. What would he be like in another twenty years?

“Little stingy on the pour,” Ronan said. His little barbs never bothered me, which drove him insane. Instead of arguing, I topped off his glass, and he lifted a brow at me.

Taking a sip of my drink, I sat back in the chair and waited. There had to be a reason for Ronan’s visit. He never came to see me unless something was bothering him.

“He’s starting with that old shit again,” Ronan finally said.

“You’re going to have to add more words to that if you want me to understand or comment.”

Ronan took a sip of his vodka. “Father. He’s fucking pushing me to marry one of the mail-order brides he keeps trying to shove on my dick.”

“It’s called marriage, and I’ve seen the women’s files.

They are all beautiful and come from very powerful families.

Any one of them would be a good match for you.

Why are you so against the idea? You’re the next head of the house.

You need to have a son, maybe more. Are you planning on having them all as bastards? ”

“Fuck you, I can’t stand it when you sound like him.”

“That’s ironic, considering you’re the most like our father,” I said, and Ronan practically snarled at me as he took another sip. “What is the issue?”

“I don’t know. I just don’t want to get married. I like my life the way it is, and I enjoy the multiple women that I can have whenever I want. I don’t want to tie myself down and give all that up.” I snorted and almost choked on my drink. “What’s so fucking funny?”

“Do you really think you’d stay true to your vows anyway? I mean, let’s be real.”

“I might be…if I got to choose who to marry. Father just doesn’t understand what I like.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “I’m not falling into a circular battle with you.

If you want to choose, then pick from the dozen girls that Father has already zeroed in on or find one that he likes.

Court them all and see who you like best. It could be like your own private version of The Bachelor , but honestly, I don’t ever see you tying yourself to one woman and remaining loyal. ”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re not the loyal type. No…that’s not true.

You’re loyal to yourself, power, and money just like father, but the rest…

well, we’re all expendable to you. Father has a single leg up on you when it comes to family.

He’ll do anything for his family, unlike you.

Don’t think I don’t know about your scheme with the Irishman. What was his name?”

“Lawrence Collier?”

“Yeah, him.”

“I told you. It’s not what you all think it is.”

“Don’t start with me. You’d sell our mother if it suited you, let alone sell out a cousin.” I waved my hand at him. “Father crushed the deal, so I’m not going to fight with you about this again.”

Ronan burst from the chair, his hands balled into fists as he glared at me. I sat calmly and watched him as I would any dangerous animal but gave him no aggression in return. Fuming, he grabbed his drink and stomped across the room to stare out the window.

“What about you,” he asked.

“What about me?”

“Are you going to agree to an arranged marriage?”

“I’m sure I will when Father decides it’s time.

We’ve always known that our marriages would be business arrangements.

” Polishing off my drink, I locked my desk and stood.

If he was only in here to complain that he needed to choose between twelve stunning princesses, then he could mope on his own. I had things to do.

“Who are you dating,” Ronan asked, and I crossed my arms.

“No one. Why are you suddenly so interested in my love life? We’ve never spoken about our relationships before.”

He shrugged. “Just curious. I mean, you’re not married, and you dragged some homeless girl into your life. What are you doing with her?”

Fuck him for mentioning Fawn. Keeping her away from my father had been easy.

I paid him the money he was owed and said that I wanted her.

He clapped me on the shoulder and smiled, believing I shared his lecherous impulses.

It was better that I didn’t correct him.

If she was only around for my amusement, then she was inconsequential.

On the other hand, if he thought that I cared for her, then he would pluck her out of my home with a snap of his fingers.

“What about her?”

“Are you fucking her?”

I squeezed my phone tighter. “She is none of your business.”

“Why so defensive? It’s a simple question. Are you getting your dick wet?”

It took all my willpower not to march across the room and beat the shit out of my brother before tossing him out the window.

“She’s sixteen,” I said, my voice tight with the restraint.

“And?”

“I’m not talking to you about this. You and Father make me sick. I need to get going, so take your drink and get out of my office.”

Shadow and Sheba stood and followed me, sensing my sudden tension.

Rather than strangling my brother, I held the door open so he could exit.

“So touchy. Please don’t tell me you love her or something,” Ronan said as he came closer. His eyes searched my face for any sign of weakness.

“Ronan…I’ll say it once more. She’s sixteen, and if you ever touch her, I’ll feed you to my dogs.”

“Fuck, man. What is your issue? She’s old enough to get married.”

“Get the fuck out right now,” I growled, and my girls followed suit, their gums pulling up threateningly.

Ronan smirked, and I hated that he finally got a rise out of me. He would log that away and now knew what buttons to push at another time. Fuck. Luckily, my phone rang. Naji’s name came up on my display.

“We have a no-pets policy at the office,” he said, giving the dogs a wary glance. I rolled my eyes.

“Well, then you better leave before someone rounds you up as a stray and neuters you.”

“Ouch, you’re fucking feisty tonight,” he grumbled while my phone continued to ring.

“I need to take this.”

“Fine, but we’ll talk about it again…soon.”

I waited until he stepped into the elevator before answering the phone.

“Naji?”

“Boss, we have an issue.” A million and one possible problems flashed through my mind. Was the house burning down? Were they attacked? Was one of the dogs ill? I hadn’t expected what he said next. “Fawn is missing.”

Fear and worry trickled down my spine. “What do you mean missing?”

“It looks like she ran away. A guard was passing by Fawn’s room and heard Daisy and Bella whining. He opened the door to make sure everything was okay, and they bounded out and down the stairs. She wasn’t in the room, and we can’t find her in the house.”

Why would she run? Was she that unhappy living with me, and I hadn’t noticed?

“Hang on,” I said, pulling up the tracking app on my phone. Fawn was at the bus terminal. “I know where she is. I’ll go get her.”

“You don’t want us to come with you?”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll take care of this.”

“I’m sorry, boss. We never heard or saw anything. It won’t happen again.”

Shadow and Sheba followed me out of the office, and I quickly locked the door.

“I’ll keep you updated.”

Hanging up, I headed for the elevator, my girls following like perfect stalkers as I dialed Nathaniel’s number.

“Hey,” he answered on the first ring.

“Are you busy?”

“Always, but I can make time for you. What’s wrong,” Nathaniel asked, picking up on my tension. We’d always been close.

“I’m scheduled for three pickups tonight, but something important came up. Can you take care of it?”

“Is everything okay?”

“I think so, but I need to handle this on my own,” I said, not adding anymore.

I trusted Nathaniel, but I didn’t want him or any of my family involved with Fawn.

The further she stayed away from my life, the better it was for her.

She had a chance at a future that didn’t involve crime, murder, and always looking over her shoulder.

That was what I wished for her and what I thought she understood.

“Okay, consider it done.”

“Thank you,” I said and hung up.

Did Fawn still think that I would toss her in a trafficking ring? Fucking Cesare had filled her head with lies. Her leaving was something I didn’t want to consider. Even though she wasn’t my prisoner, I didn’t think I could let her go.

So, did that make her my prisoner?

If anyone had told me three weeks ago that I would be upset over a teen runaway, I would’ve said they were full of shit. But now…Fawn was a part of my home.

Those feelings were better left unanalyzed because I wouldn’t like the answer or what it implied about me.