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It was enormous. A large diamond to mark his territory for everyone to see. Smaller diamonds were in the platinum. It was an elaborate display of wealth, but I knew Bartholomew wanted me to feel like the most valuable thing he owned.
He promised to love me forever and ended his vows with, “I do.”
I assumed he didn’t want to wear a ring. It wasn’t in his nature to wear jewelry, not even a watch, and such a public display of ownership seemed like something he would shun. But he pulled out another box and grabbed the small black band inside. He slipped it on to his own hand, the matte black distinctive and smooth, but also simple and subtle—just like him.
I smiled and promised to love him forever. “I do.”
A distant smile moved on to his lips as he looked at me, my hand in his. Then he brought me close and kissed me, and with complete disregard for the priest standing there, as well as my sister, he grabbed my ass—like always.
EPILOGUE
BARTHOLOMEW
After I parked the car, I walked up the gravel to the winery.
It was a quiet Tuesday in the summertime, tourists on the terrace enjoying their wine tasting. Instead of going into the office, I headed to the rear where their storage and bottling buildings were.
Didn’t want to deal with the obnoxious son-in-law again.
When I entered the warehouse, I found Cane on the forklift, trying to put a barrel on one of the top racks.
“Easy, easy,” Crow said from the bottom. “It’s like you’ve never done this before.”
“Shut up,” Cane snapped. “The forklift is glitching.”
“Forklifts don’t glitch, asshole. It’s not a computer.”
“Just shut your mouth, asshole.” He raised it higher and slid the barrel onto the shelf, but something went wrong and it rolled off the edge and shattered on the floor. Wine went everywhere.
Crow was so angry he didn’t say a word.
Cane sighed and dragged his hands down his face. “Jesus fucking Christ.”
“I told you to let me do it—”
“It’s the forklift!”
“Stop blaming other shit on your inadequacy!”
“What the hell is going on?” A woman walked inside, a brunette in jeans and a blouse. “I can hear you two going at it all the way from the terrace.” She glanced at me when she saw me standing there but then looked at the guys.
That was when Crow noticed me. His eyes narrowed on my face like he wasn’t the least bit happy that I was there. His mood immediately shifted, and he barked an order to the woman I assumed was his wife. “Button, go back to the terrace.”
Without hesitation, she obeyed, giving me a look before she walked off.
Crow walked toward me, and Cane hopped off the forklift and joined his brother.
“What the fuck do you want?” Crow got right in my face, a pit bull defending its territory.
I raised my hands in a subtle gesture of surrender. “I thought we would be on better terms after our last project.”
“I don’t like people showing up unannounced.”
“So, do all your customers make appointments?”
He gave me a hard stare. “I’m not in the mood for your punk-ass sarcasm.”
Heavy footsteps sounded behind me, and I knew exactly who it was. “Everything alright, Crow?”
