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Max leans forward in his chair, elbows on knees. “She supports it, fortunately. Although, it’s not like she has much choice.” He laughs and sits back, pleased with himself.
In fact, Rowan and Greyson also wear the smiles of men used to getting their ways. None of them are surprised in the least that Gwen bowed to their wishes. They knew all along she’d say yes.
Even if she didn’t want to.
But who am I to complain? I get to hang out with these guys a bit longer, and it sure beats cleaning cum.
“Sounds like a win-win situation,” I say, like it’s a business transaction.
Which, for them, I suppose it is.
For me, I’m not so sure.
The guys look at each other. “Well, I guess we weren’t expecting such a lackluster response. But we’ll take it,” Greyson says with a laugh, giving me a peck on the cheek. “Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, shall we join the party?”
The party. I nearly forgot.
We rise, and Greyson pulls open the library double doors to reveal a party in full swing. Where did all these people come from?
I inch up to him. “I thought you said there would be only a few people,” I say quietly.
My mouth is getting drier by the second, and my stomach flutters so wildly I have to place my hand on my abdomen. Will I have to talk to these people? What will I say? That I am taking a bookkeeping course?
What could be more boring?
I glance toward the front door, where guests keep pouring in. Maybe when none of the guys is looking, I can sneak away later… claiming I had a headache or something.
But Greyson links his fingers through mine, securing my fate, and even though I now know I can’t escape, which alarms me, his warm hand feels good in mine, like some sort of security blanket. My thoughts of escape slowly slip away.
I hope he doesn’t plan on letting me go.
“Oh, these are friends and associates of ours. Just a little gathering,” he says, explaining what I consider to be hordes of people. He waves across the room at someone.
“Your associates?” I ask, remembering Gwen’s vague explanation of what they do for a living.
He turns and his gaze locks on mine. “We are one of the local syndicates. In the old days, people called us themob,” he says with a dismissive laugh. “But that term is quaint nowadays. We’re the strongest in the region. The others pretty much defer to us. Most of the time, anyway,” he says, grimacing as some new men pass through the front door.
“Um, syndicate? Mob? What exactly does that mean?”
I think it means crime. But I want to be sure.
Am I in a houseful of criminals? My evening just went from unfamiliar and intimidating to downright terrifying.
He furrows his brow like he’s puzzled. “You don’t know?”
I shake my head slowly. “Is it like in the movies?”
He smiles. “Nah, that’s all Hollywood bullshit. Organized crime is nothing like that in real life. It’s much more nefarious and deadly. Now, shall we mingle?”
* * *
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
GREYSON
Those men had better not comenear Lu.
I am a patient man. Much more so than my business partners, Max and Rowan. I’m the calm, collected part of the team, and they are goddamn lucky to have me. If not for my ability to finesse some of the situations we’ve been in, they’d both be dead men.
