Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82907 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82907 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
I wanted to quit my job so I could stay home with her.
The last thing I wanted to do was leave her…to go to work.
But I had responsibilities I couldn’t ignore. At least I was in a better mood, no longer miserable over the woman I’d lost…because she’d fought for me. She’d stood up to her asshole brother and picked me.
She picked me.
I stepped into the Underground and headed to my throne. Half of the guys were there. The rest were doing patrols.
Before I even got to my seat, one of the girls brought me a beer and set it beside me.
I fell into the chair and took a deep drink, letting the foam cover my lips before I wiped it away.
Steel came to my side. “Heath, can I talk to you for a second?”
“What is it?” I turned to him, my chin propped on my knuckles, bored because I wished I didn’t have to be there.
He glanced at the men before he turned back to me. “In private.”
This must be important, so I rose from my chair and headed to my office, a room I hardly ever used.
He shut the door behind him.
“What is it?” I turned around and leaned against the desk, my arms crossed over my chest.
“Are you not charging Damien anymore?”
The question caught me off guard. “Why?”
“Are you?”
“Why are you asking me this?”
“Because Vox said it’s true. Is it?”
I didn’t like to be questioned about my decisions, so I glared at him.
“You told Damien you were collecting all his profits, but now you’re collecting nothing. Why?”
“For reasons you don’t need to worry about. We have enough cash to count as it is.”
Now, he glared at me. “So, you aren’t collecting from him?”
I cocked my head slightly.
“Because the men are talking, and they’re wondering if it’s true.”
“Why are they talking about this? We have a million things to worry about right now.”
“I don’t know. I don’t know how it started.”
I believed Steel wouldn’t lie to me or betray me, so I didn’t suspect it was him. “Is Ian talking?”
He shook his head. “He seemed just as surprised as I was.”
“And who told him?”
“Roger.”
“Who told you?”
“Clyde. But it seems like everyone knows, and they aren’t happy about it. You might want to change that.”
That wasn’t an option. After everything that had just happened with Damien, I couldn’t provoke him at all. And I intended to marry his sister, so I should be gaining his favor, not pushing it further away. “Let it go.”
“What are you telling me?”
“I’ll find a replacement and give them something new to talk about.” I pushed off the desk and walked around him. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I want to finish that beer.”
It was a little after sunrise when I stepped off the elevator.
Balto was awake, in his workout shorts, sneakers, and no shirt, like he was about to hit the gym after he’d finished his protein shake. He stepped out of the kitchen as he drank from his shake. “You look like you’re in a better mood.”
I grinned as I walked toward him, seeing the world with a new set of eyes, a new excitement. “Because I am.”
“You win over Damien?” He closed the cap of his bottle and shook it to mix the protein powder with the water.
“No. Catalina told him to fuck off.”
He abruptly stopped moving, the bottle no longer shaking.
I smiled. “That’s my baby…mouthing off.”
He dropped the bottle to his side. “What changed her mind?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. She just did.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear it. Maybe you and Damien can resolve your problems sometime down the road.”
“Maybe.” Probably not. But I was grateful my relationship with Catalina was no longer conditional on his approval. She’d fought for me, stuck her neck out for me, and she was loyal to me like one of my own men. “She broke her ankle a couple weeks ago at a performance, and I’ve been taking care of her. Maybe that had something to do with it.”
“Ouch, that sucks. She going to be okay?”
“She’ll be fine. She’s made of something harder than the rest of us.”
Balto didn’t smile because he never did, but he gave me an affectionate look with his eyes, like he was happy to see me this way, to see me get what I wanted.
“And I have some news…”
“Yeah?” He started to stir his bottle again, letting the particles break apart.
“I asked her to marry me.”
He halted again, this time his expression full of surprise.
“Yeah…kinda just happened.”
“You got down on one knee and gave her a ring?”
“No, it just happened. It was in the moment, hard to explain. But she said yes, so I guess I’m engaged.”
“Whoa. Last time I saw you, you were dead like a ghost. Now, I’ve never seen you happier.” He gripped my shoulder and gave me a squeeze. “I’m happy for you, man.”