Page 127 of Between Desire and Denial

Just as Dante, Dom, and Declan walked in along with Cade and Bastian Armanelli, they all came to stand by me. I said, “If Olive Monroe isn’t brought to me within another minute, I will personally find a way to ruin every one of you motherfucker’s lives. I don’t care how offended any of you are.”

Bane groaned and Cade pinched the bridge of his nose.

“That so?” Jameson murmured as he leaned his hip on the conference table, glancing at a few of the biker guys sitting there and then at Bane.

The truth was, none of them mattered to me because Bastian looked at Cade and Dante, who looked at Dom and Declan, who in turn looked at Dex and me. Then, they all nodded. We all agreed right then. More men fanned in behind us. Bastian, Cade, and Dante pulled weapons.

“This not a cordial meeting now?” Jameson asked but I saw a wild look in his eye before he nodded over at a few other men. They pulled weapons too.

“It won’t be if I don’t see Olive very soon,” I replied.

“The girls planned this, you know. They wanted Olive’s approval, but it was their doing. We’re all here because of them,” Jameson ground out. He stared at me like he wanted me to understand before he sighed and nodded to one of his guys and the man went out the doors only to hold them open for Lucille to walk in, a small little black bag hanging from her arm in one of her wool suits, dressed to the nines.

Then, one by one, my sisters came in to stand by Dante and Cade, my sisters-in-law went to stand by my brothers, and then my Olive walked in. She walked up to me and kissed my cheek.

“Sorry, Darling D.”

“Honeybee…” I murmured as I held her face in my hands. I tilted her head to one side, then the other. I smoothed my hands over the clothes she’d been wearing just an hour ago. “Are you hurt?”

“No. I went willingly.”

I took a deep breath. “How can I protect you if—”

“No one is protecting me from something I’m a part of, Dimitri. I’ve always been a part of it… was born into it, even if I didn’t want to be.” She stepped back and looked around the room. “And that means making the tough decisions.”

“We’re having nothing to do with this.” I shook my head at her.

“I know you want nothing to do with them, Dimitri. It’s why I had to hear out the other side.”

“What the fuck could they possibly say to you? This partnership is—"

“What I want.” She stood there, looking at me with those honey-brown eyes, and murmured, “It’s the only thing that feels right when I know I’m going to stay here. I’m going to live here in Paradise Grove with Knox, and I’m going to make this place my home all over again. With or—”

“Always with, never without, Olive Monroe,” I growled. She wasn’t leaving me out of her life. I wouldn’t even have her voice it as an option.

“Then you need to listen and figure out a way to make this work.”

“Fuck me,” I grumbled, and then I looked over at most of my family standing there waiting to hear what I had to say. I took a deep breath before motioning toward the door to them andthe twenty other men milling about in there. “I want a moment alone with my girlfriend.”

“Just your girlfriend?” Kee was the first one to speak up, and she tilted her head like she needed more clarification.

That was fine. “My future wife. The mother of my children. My Honeybee. The one I’ll kill for and die for. Notjustmy girlfriend. My life.” I stared at Olive as I said it, then looked over at my best friend. “You want me to clarify further?”

“Nope.” She smiled big. “Just making sure.” And then she turned to her husband and wide-eyed him like he was an idiot. “Let’s go. He needs a minute.”

“Yeah, why the hell are you guys still standing here like you can’t understand English? Get the fuck out.” Pink shoved at Bane. He glared at her before bending to throw her over his shoulder and stomping out.

Every man and woman filtered out of the room, and then I stared at Olive. Her hands were folded in front of her as she waited for my response. “You really want this? Do you know how dangerous it could be?”

“I know that according to Lucille, she killed Earl because he made a drug distribution deal with the Irish Mob.”

“Jesus Christ.” I looked toward the ceiling. I’d read some of the information Izzy had sent me. I knew this was going to be a dirty and dangerous partnership, but this went deep fast.

“She explained to me on the way to the meeting with all the women that Jameson told her he was going to do it. I still think he might off his father, honestly. Or mine.” She sighed but there wasn’t any sorrow in her voice. “They all deserve it.”

“This isn’t our battle.”

“But it is. Because it’s what is best for this town and for the state and for your businesses, quite frankly.”