Page 39

?

Brent

S he pissed me off.

Not only did she kick me out of her room after we slept together, but she still refused to call me. Business partners, my ass. I wanted everything . She was mine.

My security was following Fallon around everywhere. I had constant updates on movements in or around her house. She became a little pet of sorts when I found out Sloane was gunning for her head. Nothing would slip out of my sight and Reaper would see to anyone’s death if they so much as tried to touch a hair on her perfect little head.

“Ready for tonight?” Dave tucked his holster into his waistband and inspected his gun. He would be watching Fallon wherever she went since she was coming to the game without her regular bodyguard.

Yeah, we heard that conversation.

“The win is already in the bag. Too many people paid off the officials and coaches. Willow Bay wins by default this year. I love it when sports betting gets rigged.” I grabbed my bag from the table full of sports gear.

My men would have fun without me while I played in the ‘big’ game.

“Too bad I can’t bet on you losing,” Reaper muttered, kicking his feet up onto the table.

He had been in a bad mood for days, and I didn’t dare poke him when he was mad. Whatever was going on in his personal life made him shorter fused than normal. He didn’t even send me pictures of random cats over the last week.

“What’s the news on Whitmore? She’s a loose cannon gunning for the heir of the Montgomery Group. We all need to be on high alert any time Fallon steps out of her home.”

I started tracking Sloane’s movements, careful not to let her know I was doing it. She probably assumed I would be keeping an eye on her, but that’s what she wanted me to do–as in, on my own. My men were on her, and if she had been aware of that, she’d be pissed. We had to be careful with all the other families at each other's throats.

There was a rift bigger than the San Andreas fault line happening. The elites were turning on one another in anticipation of attempting to snatch the Montgomery Group out from under Blondie and up their power over the black market. Everyone wanted it. Whoever had control over the properties that Chamberlain Industries utilized to keep our operations on top would shoot us in the foot, causing a major shift in how things operated.

It would be chaos.

For now, it was crabs in a bucket.

I just had to stay ahead of them all and ensure Fallon rose to the top–even if it killed me. We were sitting ducks if she lost everything. Urgency was of the essence.

“Your scorned ex has been talking a lot of shit lately. Also, in secret meetings with that Fitzgerald kid.”

After he killed that kid in cold blood, I left him to his own devices. The event that separated us was when we were still in early years. I was a violent guy myself, but that guy was ready to kill anyone at any time. Sure, I could have said something, but what was there to be done? The Dictator would have shrugged me off again without listening to me, and his father would have threatened me in some way.

I kept my distance, but if he came anywhere near my Blondie, I’d have no issue with putting him into the grave. While we were both violent, his violence was senseless and protected by big shot lawyer daddy. Of which, I’d have to deal with his father. I settled on having to kill the entire family if I needed to. I didn’t care.

“If he so much as touches her, he dies. I don’t care how it happens, but he’s done for. Dave, you keep eyes on Fallon. Reaper, you do what it is you do best outside of the sports complex. I have two other men patrolling around. And, Reaper, please keep your earpiece on if you can help it.” Tossing on my jersey, we were out.

Just one more game , I told myself.

“I’ll be out of reach until the game is over. Watch her like a hawk and don’t let shit happen to her. Who knows how many knives are out with not that long to go until her birthday. Protect her like she’s me and don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself out there. She can’t.”

They all nodded in silent agreement with me. I felt like I was pleading with them, but she was the center of everything and–fuck it. She became my fucking everything the first time she looked into my soul.

Every fucking laugh. Every judgmental look. Her hesitation with me made me want into her walls. Watching her hope in humanity falter made me sick. I wanted the lights in her eyes to stay as bright as the moonlight on a full moon. She was the moon in my night sky. She was the sun of my summer.

Whatever she did to me, I never wanted it to end, and I would go to the ends of this earth to grovel for her to simply look at me.

“One more game,” I whispered. Tossing my duffel over my shoulder, I made my way down the corridor, leaving it in their hands while I went to play a rigged game of fucking baseball.

––––––––

“S he’s waiting for you ,” Reaper nodded to me when I entered the empty locker room.

Sloane played dirtier than I thought she would. She planned to get me back in whatever way she could. Every ingredient would be tossed into her fucked up cake she was baking with plans to get rid of Fallon and force my hand. Anything it took to bring me to my knees and give up.

I’d rather die first.

There were hired men from every fucking possible side at the game keeping tabs on everyone there. Every family was on high alert and Sloane hired as many men as possible–her men replaced the stadium security and staff. We got played.

Alexander was thrusted at Fallon to distract her. He wanted to play for keeps and power. The plan for him was to, what, get a chunk of her company? Get in the circle being created by the Whitmore family? If only my grandfather told me more, I’d be better prepared to do whatever it took to protect not only Chamberlain, but Fallon. She was integral to his plan–he just had his stupid fucking rules of not acting until the last minute.

But I didn’t think he had any moves to play. He was testing me to see what would happen. He was playing a fucking game with all of us. If he wasn’t actively fucking dying, I wouldn’t have a clue what he was doing. What was the goddamned play?

“What did Dave say?”

“Not much. He got her out in time and she’s at home right now. Your grandfather requests your presence.”

I threw my shoes across the locker room with as much force as I could. “Fuck his requests! What I’m concerned about is what the fuck happened to my woman! He can sit and fucking wither away in his office for all I care. Get your shit, we’re going.”

Fuck him and fuck his requests. Whatever he had could wait for all I cared. He could be dying in the hospital with the biggest company secret, and I wouldn’t have shown up.

Reaper took my keys from me and drove us back, muttering something about how dangerous I was when I was angry. I didn’t care. I’d commit every felony known to man if it meant I got to her. Nothing, and I mean nothing, would stop me.

I just about ripped the door from its hinges when we arrived. I wanted to know where she was immediately.

“She’s relaxing in her room,” James, her good-for-nothing bodyguard announced.

I ignored him. “Dave. Status?”

“You know most of the details. Found her half naked locked in a bathroom with that mouth breather, Fitzgerald.

Without thinking, I clocked James in the jaw. Reaper grabbed me and pulled me back before I could all out-execute his ass. “You fucker,” I hissed. “Dave, why weren’t you on top of her?”

“Simply stated: we were undermanned for this.” He looked guilty of the same that James was in my eyes, and I itched to beat the shit out of them both.

“All of you were in charge while I was in that fucking game playing along with the fucked up world, we’re in! I want extra men on her at all times. Never less than three. I can’t trust a fucking soul here.” I shot daggers at her bodyguard while Reaper gripped the shit out of me. “Get off me. I want to go fucking talk to her.” I raged against the hold he had on me.

Dave cleared his throat.

“Brent?”

She looked so beautiful in her pajamas. The last time I’d seen her felt like a lifetime ago. My body went limp at the sight of her, and I swore to myself that I wasn’t falling that hard for this girl, but I was.

“Blondie,” was all I could say when she took my breath away.

Reaper let me go and I ran to her and tossed her over my shoulder. She started beating my back just like she usually did, demanding to be let down. We spun in a circle before I set her down gently. I checked her body and looked for signs of damage.

My eyes landed on her face. Bruising formed. Gingerly, I brought my fingers up to check the swelling; I needed to feel her skin. “Who did this to you?”

Her eyes fell to the ground. “Alexander.”

I pulled her into me, the smell of her wet hair calming my nerves. She always used light floral scents and I loved how she smelled. I wanted her to consume me with flowers. “I will never let that piece of shit lay another hand on you. If I do, you can kill me yourself for failing to protect you. Never again.”

“It’s fine,” she mumbled. She looked embarrassed to be held like this in front of everyone. Not that it mattered who saw us at this point. The world was going to know that she was mine, and I would kill them for so much as thinking about her the wrong way.

Was it bad that I wanted my lips over every square inch of her body, relieving her of the memories of when I wasn’t there for her? I dragged her down the hallway so I could have her alone, even for just a few moments.

Behind her door, I couldn’t help but kiss the top of her head and hold her close to me again. Somewhere between when I told myself I wouldn’t get attached to her and now, she took my heart and held it inside her and she didn’t even know that she did.

She probably didn’t even like me.

“Tell me what happened. Whatever you want me to know.” I sat her down on her bed and knelt before her on the floor, giving her the full vantage point over me.

I played with her hands between us, massaging the fingers one by one while she stared at me, unable to form the words she wanted to speak. “It wasn’t fun, and I know you want to hear about it so you can go on your typical rampage, but...” she bit her lip and looked down at me before her.

“But, what?” Placing her hand in my palms, I raised it up to my lips. If all I would ever get again was the pleasure of kissing her hands, I’d take it.

“I got a phone call.”

“From whom?”

She didn’t reply. Her mind was racing—I saw it from the little scrunch between her eyebrows. The gears were always turning in that mind of hers. How badly I wanted to know what she was thinking, yet I waited.

I waited when she kicked me out and told me we could never be anything. I waited for her to kick that boyfriend to the curb. Hell, I even waited for her to get on my bike. I’ve never waited for a girl before, but she made me weak in the knees from day one. She was a beautiful siren, and I’d let her drag me down and kill me.

“Why did you leave?” she breathed out

“What do you mean?”

She let out a defeated sigh. “I kicked you out and you left.”

“You think I really went anywhere?”

“Do you know a man named Jason Haines?”

I blinked. “How do you know him?””

She pulled out her phone and showed me a text message. “I never responded to this and then he called me. He told me something about my aunt and demanded we meet privately.”

So, Jason was gunning for her company after all. He was very low key, keeping his head down so he could work to undermine us and spearhead the black market dealings. With her mom’s—now her—company, he would soar above us and stomp us into the dust.

“How did he get your information?”

“That’s the weird part. He claimed he and my aunt have been basically stalking me for years.”

To get ahead in the game . To take over before she had the opportunity to. How long was Jason lying in wait to rip the carpet out from under her, from me? He hated my grandfather so much that he played by the same rules.

Never make a move unless you’re ready for action.

“All of that aside, why would he be calling you to tell you this? Wouldn’t that just alert you to his plan?” Color me confused , but that gave her the opportunity to plan for their takeover.

She hadn’t pulled her hands away from mine. Instead, she was stroking my fingers. “He said that my aunt took everything from him and he was calling me for help.” She let out a small laugh while she continued playing with my hands. “Which is funny because he was there plotting against me with her, and now he wants me to take pity on him.”

“Look at my Blondie turning into such a business savant.”

“Don’t condescend me.”

I kissed her hand in apology, looking up at her hoping she knew I was serious. She learned a lot over such a short period of time. With her birthday beginning to loom over us, there was a sharper edge to her forming. A proper cunning businesswoman emerging and I loved it.

“I wouldn’t dream of it, babe.”

She rolled her eyes at me, and I relished it. I wanted her rolling her eyes, fighting me, telling me to get lost. That's how I knew she was in there and that she was fighting. She was alive and full of life. I wanted nothing more than to continue to see her like that.

“I just don't understand how my aunt took his company from him.”

“Love makes you blind.” I’d let her take whatever she wanted without even batting an eye. I’d let her strip me of it all and I’d offer my freshly cut out heart as a final gift. “We do need to get this information to the guys so they can start planning. My grandfather needs to know about your aunt so we can take counter steps against them and prevent a takeover and lose everything we have.”

I also loved saying ‘we’ to her.

“If what I suspect is true, not much will prevent her from taking Montgomery Group.”

“What do you mean by that?”