Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 103413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
He’d much rather stay at home with their girl and watch some sappy movie.
“We need to tell them.” Nico turned to find Liam standing in the shower. Fuck. He was so gorgeous. He ran his hand over his thick body. “And it’ll be worse for us if that happens.”
Liam leaned his hands on the side of the shower, bending his head down. “Fuck.”
“They’ll be even more pissed off when they find we’ve gone behind their backs.”
“Fuck. Shit. So, what you’re saying is that I should just straight out tell Regent we want his little sister? The one he guards better than the secret service protects the president.”
Nico just stared at him. “This isn’t the way you usually do things, Liam. You go for the jugular and damn the consequences.”
“She’s important. I don’t want to fuck this up. Everything else, except you, I could stand to lose. None of it means anything. Only you. And her.”
“I get it. But . . .”
“But this isn’t the way to do things. Fuck. I get it. I do.”
He just didn’t know the best move forward. He really wished he did.
Fuck.
Liam should have found some way to leave Nico home with Lottie. He fucking hated this shit. But what he really hated was knowing she was home alone with just the guards.
He wrapped his hands around the rails of the balcony he was standing on. Downstairs, everyone was dancing to some song he didn’t know. It was all fucking bullshit. This place was packed, the way it always was. Maxim ran it along with a number of the Malones’ other legit businesses. Regent oversaw everything, the legal and illegal parts, while Victor worked as his second.
It worked well for them.
Or it had until someone had started messing with their supply chain.
Liam: Everything okay?
Lottie: Just sitting here, bawling my eyes out.
Liam: Why? What the fuck happened?
Lottie: The dog just died.
Liam: What dog?
Lottie: The one in the movie. It’s awful. Why did they have to kill off the dog?
He slumped in relief. She was talking about a movie.
Liam: You just gave me a heart attack. I thought you were really upset.
Lottie: I am.
Liam: It’s a movie. I’ve a mind to punish you for making me panic.
Lottie: Doesn’t seem fair. How’s the club?
Liam: Boring. Hot. Crowded.
Lottie: Filled with hot girls in short skirts?
Liam: It is? I haven’t noticed.
Lottie: Good answer.
Liam: Jealous, baby girl?
No reply.
Liam: You don’t trust us?
Lottie: I trust you. I just feel . . .
Liam: What baby?
Fuck. He wished he was with her. He wasn’t good with this soothing shit, but it was even harder over text. Maybe he should find Nico. Get some help
Lottie: Left out, I guess.
Liam: We’d rather be with you than anywhere else. Or with anyone else.
Lottie: Wow, you’re much sweeter over text.
He shook his head.
Lottie: I’m sending that message to Nico. We might need to get it framed.
He chuckled.
Liam: Only if you want a spanking every time I walk by it.
Lottie: Worth it.
Liam: I’ve created a monster.
Lottie: Rwr.
Liam: What?
Lottie: I was trying to make a monster noise. But that was lame.
He grinned.
Liam: You really tried to go walking outside today?
Lottie: Yeah, I didn’t do well, though.
Liam: Proud of you for trying, baby. You know all you have to do is ask and we’ll help you.
Lottie: I know. Miss you.
Liam: We’ll be home late. Don’t wait up. Text me when you go to bed.
Lottie: Aren’t you gonna say nighty-night, don’t let the bed bugs bite?
Liam: Brat.
“You’re texting Nico?” Victor asked as he sidled up next to him. “You know he’s just down there.”
He stared down at his husband who was at the bar where Maxim had dragged him. He couldn’t see his face from here, but he could tell from the slump of his shoulders that he was having as much fun as Liam was.
Which meant none at all.
He just grunted without answering. Nico and Lottie were right. This had to come out. This wasn’t the way he did things. If Regent tried to shut them out of her life, then he’d have to come up with another plan.
Because Charlotte Malone was his.
Theirs.
And he never let go of what belonged to him.
“Regent told me the plan. You really think the rat will come out of the woodwork?”
Hopefully.
Probably more likely if he actually did some circulating. He needed to be seen.
“I’m going to let it be known that I’m looking for business partners.”
“You want people to think you’re acting on your grandfather’s behalf? Sean okay with that?”
“He’s fine with it.” Not really. “All I’m looking for is a better offer than from your brother. Or that’s what we want the rat to think. You don’t think it will work?”
Victor shrugged, looking out. “Maybe. What I want to know is what’s in it for you?”
“There has to be something in it for me? I can’t be doing this out of the goodness of my heart?”