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Does she mean a drink or something else?
As she walked off, some men in line whistled at her.
“She’s a stunner,” Steve said, stating the bleeding obvious.
I nodded. “I know.”
“I think she likes you.” He grinned.
“She’s too rich for me.”
He pulled a shocked look. “You need your head examined. I’d love to meet a rich chick.”
“Call me old-fashioned, but I want to be the one that brings in the money.”
“That’s so fucking nineteenth century, man. My missus works in admin. Without two wages, we wouldn’t be able to survive.”
“I get that. And that would be fine. But she’s a fucking billionaire.”
And my best friend’s sister.
His eyes stretched wide like I’d told him she sold weapons for a living. “Holy shit. That’s even better still. Imagine that. A big house. A swimming pool. Trips around the world. Sign me up.”
I laughed. Steve was a dreamer. Unlike me. The army knocked my dreams out of me. As a thirty-two-year-old realist, I was aware of my limitations, and a sophisticated woman like Savanah would get bored with someone who preferred fishing to partying.
Although I couldn’t quite figure out Savanah’s fascination for rough-looking guys, I knew that we came from completely different worlds.
Having experienced my share of lust, I’d never hung around long enough to see where things could go.
My mother broke my heart when she died. Alone in the world at sixteen, I’d convinced myself better to remain unattached than undergo that kind of crippling separation again.
Although I was physically tougher than most, I had work to do emotionally because one didn’t experience things I’d seen and not be affected. But for now, I decided to keep life simple, and Savanah was the opposite of simple.
About ten minutes after Savanah left, Bram strutted out with a cigarette dangling from his smirk.
On my approach, he tilted his chin up at me, as though I was standing in the wrong place. He wore ripped jeans and a jacket with holes, designed that way I could only imagine, since he was part of the rich classes despite dressing like someone sleeping rough.
“I’m allowed to smoke here.” As though to make a point, he puffed smoke into my face, and my fists clenched.
I took a deep breath and counted to three, an anger management technique I’d learned from the army. “Smoke all you like. But listen, if I hear that you’ve been stalking Savanah Lovechilde, and as much as lay a finger on her, you’ll have me to deal with.”
His eyes narrowed as he sized me up and down. “Who the fuck are you?” I grabbed him by the arm and squeezed his puny biceps. “Hey, man, you’re fucking hurting me.”
Releasing my grip, I walked off.
“I can have you up for assault,” he yelled.
I turned. “You don’t want to mess with me.”
After I resumed my position at the door, Steve asked, “What was that about?”
“He’s been knocking Savanah about, and now he’s stalking her. She’s terrified of him.”
“He looks like a fucking dick. But hey, careful. He used a lord’s pass. His father’s someone. And they’ve got skilled lawyers.”
I shrugged it off. I wasn’t in the mood to talk about lawyers. Angus had already done enough damage when he jumped bail. I didn’t know where he was, and my role as the protective brother was over. I tried and lost everything so that now I had to start again.
I clocked off, collected my cash, and headed back to my empty flat.
