Aiden
I was thinking about my men’s words all afternoon on my ride back from Henderson. I sit at the bar, waiting for Mia at Lavish, remembering my father’s warning never to fall for a woman, let a woman cloud my judgment, or take a piece of me. But Mia never takes from me. She meets me at every turn and fuels me with the fire and the light I need to survive. When I’m with her, I see the fucking world differently. I want to do things better. I want to be better, and I’ve got a whole list of ideas on how to do that.
We just need to get past this hurdle with Dagger. There is simply no choice—he has to die. I couldn’t even tell you what love was before I met Mia, but now I don’t have a single thought that doesn’t either start or end with her. It’s been less than two months, but I would die for Emilia Tyler, and if that isn’t love, I don’t know what is.
And now, after my meetup with Arlo at the penitentiary, I’m more convinced than ever that Dagger was the one Nicolawas pointing to that day at the Yard. I just have to prove it, for Mia’s sake, so she knows the third man responsible is dead. So far, the only idea I can come up with to accomplish that would take skill, and a whole lot of trust on Mia’s part.
“Whose idea was it to do Finger Paint Night on five-dollar beer night?” Roz chuckles from behind the bar as she sets her phone down.
“That would be yours,” I tell her.
She shrugs. “Sore feet later is a small price to clean up the way we will, I suppose.”
“Been thinking about changing things up here,” I tell her as she pours me a shot of whiskey.
“Hmmm?” she says, her eyebrow slinging up. She’s been my most trusted employee for over two years now, and even before Marco died, Roz always had my back.
“I want to make you partner,” I tell her. “I’m gonna be getting involved in some new business ventures, and you’ve earned it.”
Roz’s mouth falls open. “I…I would love that, but I can’t afford—”
I shake my head. “You don’t need to. You bring expertise. You work the same hours and manage the bar, but instead of your salary, you’ll earn thirty percent.”
Roz’s hands fly to her mouth. It’s a hefty raise for her, and I know she’ll work harder and smarter because of it. She won’t take this for granted for one fucking second.
“I… Boss. I don’t know what to say…” Roz says, tears brimming in her eyes.
I smile at her. “Say yes. It will be a help to me while I spend more time away.” I hold my hand out for shaking. “It’s not often in this world I get to trust someone with my life.”
She takes my hand, and I’m hit with a sense of pride at knowing how far she’s come. “I won’t let you down, boss.”
The phone rings, and she drops her hand, moving to answer it as I wag a finger at her. “Not boss. Now you’re the boss too.”
“That’s gonna take some getting used to.” She shakes her head as she answers the phone, and fuck, I’m glad she’s taking me up on my offer.
I’m sipping my whiskey, still listening to Roz chat to the delivery driver on the other end of the line, when Mia comes through the door. Roz gives her a wink, then disappears into the back for more stock. None of my men are here, but most of the girls are, getting ready for their shifts.
I smile at Mia’s approach. Her blond hair is shining and pulled back into a ponytail. She wears jeans that fit her curvy body perfectly, sandals, and a white T-shirt. Simple perfection. No makeup, no fuss, and all I want to do is prop her right up on this bar and feast, but Roz might not like that very much.
As Mia reaches me and meets my eyes, I know immediately something isn’t right. “What’s wrong?” I ask, pulling her to me.
She settles between my thighs. “I tried to call you. Mason is home for the weekend… I met him for breakfast and…”
“Fuck, Mia! You shouldn’t have gone alone. I would’ve come with you!” I move her back and stand, angry now, because her going rogue is going to get her fucking killed. I have no idea what Mason is capable of, or what he would do if she slipped up and told him about us without me there to protect her.
“Aiden, I wanted to see him myself first.” Mia fights back into my space and rests her hand on my face. “Listen to me. There’s more. Dagger came into the restaurant while we were there.”
I grip her arms, visually assessing her for marks or any kind of harm.
She shakes her head. “I’m fine.”
Fuck.I pull my phone out of my pocket to text Stone and tell him to start searching street cams for Dagger’s bike. Whether he agrees with my motives or not, he’ll still help me.
Dagger is close now, and I’m gonna fucking get to him.
“Your brother…” I start as I type, analyzing my problems and categorizing their priority. “What did Dagger tell him? Is Mason coming here to try to put a bullet in my head?” I ask, directing my focus to her again.
Mia’s brow furrows. “That’s the thing I couldn’t understand. Dagger didn’t tell him anything. He acted like he didn’t even know me.”
