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“Don’t feel sad, Gramps.”
“I’m not sad. Not really. I had fifty-one wonderful years with the woman I loved more than life itself. We had three children, eleven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. I’ll see her again when I leave this earth.”
It was then that the older man had turned to look Lukus in the eyes, saying words Lukus had forgotten until today. “I almost lost her once, you know. Did something stupid. I was lucky she forgave me. She was my other half. Don’t ever settle for anything less in your life, Lukus. Keep looking until you find that one woman who makes you light up when she walks in the room. The woman who may drive you crazy, but you know you don’t ever want to go to sleep without her lying next to you. When you find her, grab on, and never let her go.”
Lukus had never been particularly religious, but in that moment, he felt the presence of his grandfather there with him, reminding him of his poignant advice. Reminding him of the importance of family.
“So, you decided to stop hiding. I had you pegged for a lot of things, but a coward wasn’t one of them.”
The venomous tone in Aiden’s voice behind him pulled Lukus from his memories. Before he could turn around, accusations from the other O’Sullivan men started flying.
“I can’t believe my little girl would hang around with a felon who gets off on hurting women. I want you off my property in the next three minutes, before the women return.”
Lukus was in the process of standing to confront them when he was pushed to the dock, Aiden’s stocky body determined to do harm. Lukus wrestled free of him, trying valiantly to avoid a real fight, knowing how much it would hurt Tiffany. Still, he was not going to sit by and get his ass kicked without defending himself.
He tried to defuse the situation. “I think everyone should calm down. Let’s go back to the house and talk about this, man to man.”
Colin surprised him by jumping into the fray. “I think my dad and Aiden are right. You should leave now. We’ll make sure Tiffany makes it home safely, although maybe it’s best if she stays here for a while where we can take care of her better than she’s been taking care of herself.”
Lukus took a deep breath. “Tiffany isn’t taking care of herself. That’s my job now.”
“All the more reason for her to stay. She obviously doesn’t have enough sense to avoid abusive criminals. I’m going to move her in with me when we get back to Chicago—and if you even try to get near her, I’ll have you arrested.” Aiden’s voice was threatening.
Lukus choked out an angry laugh. “Arrested for what? Falling in love?”
Aiden was up in his face. “Don’t pretend with me. I know what kind of sick and depraved shit goes on at that club of yours. I read the police report of the innocent women you abused and raped, and those are just the ones brave enough to report the crime. I’ve interviewed others who talk about how you beat women nightly. As soon as Tiffany learns what kind of a man you are, she’s going to dump you anyway. I’m just saving her from having to experience your flavor of abuse firsthand.”
Lukus had had enough. Grabbing Aiden by the scruff of his shirt, he lifted him completely off the ground, slamming him against the wall of the nearby boathouse, bringing their faces to the same height. “I think you’d better get your fucking facts straight,” he snarled.
Aiden didn’t flinch. In fact, he was getting madder by the minute. “So, you deny being arrested?”
Through all of his legal troubles, Lukus had never felt angrier at the charges against him than he did at this minute. “I don’t deny being arrested, but if you’re gonna tell the story, tell the whole story. My business partner and I were arrested, but the criminal case was thrown out almost immediately for lack of evidence against us. Then, six weeks ago, the civil suit was also thrown out when the court found in my favor. I’ve been fully exonerated.”
“Are you denying that you beat those women?”
“Hell yes, I’m denying I beat them.” Lukus wished he could leave it at that, but knew he couldn’t. “What I did to them was punish them according to the contract they signed with their Doms when they joined the club. I did to them what they had witnessed me do to dozens of other women before them—things they had even enjoyed watching.”
It was Tiff’s father who spoke from behind him. “So, it’s true. You’re a sicko who owns a sex club where you hurt women?”
Lukus lowered Aiden’s feet to the wooden pier so he could turn to address Tiffany’s father. “I do own a sex club, yes. And I guess you’re allowed your opinion on if I’m a sicko or not. All I can say to you is that I love your daughter, sir.”
It was Aiden in his face, shouting again. “Men like you don’t know how to love a woman like my sister. You use women. I don’t know what you have over her, but you need to walk away from her before she gets hurt.”
“You don’t think me just leaving her here without even saying goodbye is going to hurt her?” Lukus asked.
“She’ll get over it, and you know what the hell I mean. She needs to get away from you before she gets hurt,physically.”
Lukus was so close to throwing punches he took a deep breath to remain calm. “I would rather cut my right arm off than ever let anything bad happen to Tiffany.”
Colin, the voice of reason, stepped into the fray, pushing the two men apart. “All right, I think everyone should calm down. Let’s try to sort this out like civilized men.”
Aiden almost spit in Lukus’s face. “That assumes he is a civilized man. From what I’ve dug up, he’s more like a monster, hurting women on stage and trying to call it entertainment. Tiffany is going to freak out when she learns the truth.”
Lukus knew he should keep his mouth shut. She’d be upset if she were here, but he had no choice. He couldn’t allow Aiden to stay in the dark. “Tiffany has known the truth about the club from the very first day I met her. Our first night together was at the club. She’s been to many shows with me and is intimately aware of what happens there, both on and off stage.”
The blood drained from Aiden’s face. He looked like he was going to be sick, and Lukus immediately regretted his outburst.
“I don’t believe you,” Aiden could only whisper.
