Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36052 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 180(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36052 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 180(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
I glanced down the hall to find Olivia standing in the hallway in the cotton pants and tee Lemon had brought. When she backed up a step, like she was going back into her room, Venus stopped her.
“Stop,” she barked. “From this moment on, you do not leave my sight.” She walked down the hall, not intimidating in the least in her pink leather. If you didn’t take into account she was over five-nine and solidly built. A delicate flower Venus was not. Oh. And she had razor-sharp pink nails. And pink hair.
And pink eyes.
Olivia’s gaze darted to me. Whatever she saw there must have clued her in to the fact I wasn’t pleased. She didn’t say anything, though, and she followed Venus’s instructions. Ducking her head, she entered the bedroom with Venus right behind her.
I wanted to protest, to go to Olivia and do this myself but I knew that one, I didn’t trust myself not to take out my anger on her and be rougher with her than I should. And two, Olivia would never look at me the same way again if I forced her to strip in front of me. Not in this situation.
Piston’s amused snort brought my attention away from Olivia. “What’s so fuckin’ funny?”
“You. How long you known that girl?”
“I don’t.”
“Yeah? Why’d you claim her?”
I shrugged. “Seemed like a good idea at the time.”
Piston crossed his arms over his chest. The man might be in his late fifties, but he was still solidly built and way more intuitive than I liked. “Yeah? How’s it feel now?”
“Like fuckin’ shit.” I scrubbed a hand over my face. “Fuck.”
“Yeah. I know the feelin’.”
I barked out a short laugh. “You do, huh? How do you figure?”
Piston nodded to the door Venus and Olivia had disappeared behind. “You think I got it made with that one? She’s mine, but she’s fightin’. And let me tell you, those nails of hers are sharper than they look.”
“Really? Because they look fuckin’ sharp to me.”
“Exactly.” Piston grinned. “Always did like to live dangerously.”
“You’re nuts, old man.”
“Yeah? I’m not the one who claimed a woman the first time I laid eyes on her.”
“Exactly how long had you known Venus when you claimed her?”
“That’s different. I might not have known her, but I knew what she was. What she stood for.” Again, he nodded to the hallway and the bedroom. “You don’t know nothin’ about that one.”
“I know she’s working for my CIA handler. The man who sent me on a suicide mission because I refused to follow bullshit orders.”
Piston whistled low. “Not a great start, brother.”
“Yeah. Tell me something I don’t know.”
“All right. How about this.” The older man leaned one hip against the door facing. “Apple says she’s sure someone is hurting Olivia. Maybe not physically, but mentally. Emotionally. Terrorizing that young woman.”
I shook my head. “Ain’t goin’ there, Piston. Whatever reason she has, she had a chance to come clean and she didn’t take it.”
He shrugged. “All I’m sayin’ is find all the facts. Look as deep as you can. Lemon and Apple are… special. Everyone knows it. Lemon’s found her way and is on the path that suits her. Apple hasn’t yet, but she needs to help people. Ever since the thing with Scarlet, Apple’s changed. Whatever happened at Iron Tzars with that man of hers made it worse. What she saw in Olivia was bad enough she gave her the club safe word. She was also demanding to come here to be with Olivia.”
“What?” I snapped the question, narrowing my eyes. “She’s not, right? Because that would be the one person Olivia could hide behind and keep us away from her. If she puts Apple between herself and us, she’s got us by the balls.”
“Idiot,” Piston muttered. “You really need to learn to watch a woman for a while before you go all caveman Neanderthal and put your claim on her. You don’t know a Goddamned thing about this woman. Do you?”
“What the fuck is it with everyone telling me what woman I can or can’t claim?”
“Never said you couldn’t claim her. Just that you’re a dumbass for taking a look at a pretty face and deciding to spend your life with the woman.”
“Christ, Piston. I feel something for her or I wouldn’t have done it. There’s a… I don’t know. A pull to her.”
“I see.” He sighed. “Well, good luck, boy. You’re in for a bumpy ride.”
* * *
Olivia
“I’d apologize in advance, but I think you knew this or something like it was coming.” The woman who’d escorted me into the bedroom and shut the door was all business. Judging by her expression, there would be absolutely no give to her.
“Strip down to underwear.” She had a moderately thick Russian accent in a pleasing contralto. Judging by all the pink, I was pretty sure this was Venus. Apple had told me about her a couple of times, always with an admiring grin. Like, if she thought she could pull it off, she’d emulate the woman’s look but thought it might be a bit much. Venus stood back at a reasonable distance, not getting up in my space or making me feel threatened. Which told me I had absolutely no chance of getting away from her even if I tried.