AllFreeNovel
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“Fuck right he would. We don’t run girls. We have limits, and those fuckers are going to know that we don’t put up with it in our territory either.”
“Call me with any more information. We still need to find this guy’s partner. I don’t like fucking loose ends either.”
“I have your loose ends tied up in a fucking bow. Do your thing, and we’ll get you that information. Talk to you later,” Tommy replies, disconnecting. I silently cuss and wait. I have no doubt that within a short amount of time we’ll have more information on his partner, but the last thing we need is him popping up out of the woodwork with no plan to take him down.
Allie quietly makes her way into the room. I close the laptop and look into a deep set of questioning, red-rimmed puffy green eyes. She slides into the chair across from me and doesn’t say a word. “Tell me what’s going on, Allie.”
“I never even gave you a chance. I’m sorry for that and want to explain why.” She swallows, and I follow the movement down the creamy expanse of her throat.
“I’d like to hear that.”
“My dad abandoned my mom. He left a woman who loved him and a little girl who adored him for a prettier package. I remember seeing her with my dad at a grocery store one day shortly after he left. I called out to him, and he turned away from me and walked around the corner like he didn’t even hear me. I remember my mom carrying me out of the store and holding me while I cried. She worked two and three jobs depending on the season to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table, Nick. And yet, she still kept that fucking wedding picture of theirs hidden in her top drawer, buried under all of her things. She never stopped loving the bastard.”
Allie’s tears are falling faster than she can wipe them. It takes self-restraint not to put her in my arms, but the physical attraction needs to come second to getting through to the part of her that can open up and trust. “That had to be hard, love.”
“I did try to have relationships. It took quite a few boyfriends before I let my heart get involved.” She looks at me with deep pained eyes. “The same thing happened, Nick. The very same thing. He saw a cuter barbie doll, and off he ran. It took a long time to get over that, but I did. I managed to pick myself up and focus on my job, my mom, and the people I care about, like Lexie. And it’s not like I was celibate, but it was just physical, no strings, no ties, just sex.”
Until me, because I’m not allowing her to put me in that fucking box outside of the club. “You were protecting your heart.”
She nods, walking across the room for a tissue before returning. “You reminded me of all the other men who like to flirt and maybe take someone to bed for a night or two but then cut out.”
My chest tightens, but she won’t get lies from me. “You’re not all wrong, Allie. I always treated women with the utmost respect, but seldom saw someone for more than a night. A relationship wasn’t something in the cards with all the traveling. Just not a life I wanted to bring a lady partner into.”
She nods, sniffing. “Because there are too many attractive women out there, and you’d be tempted to stray?”
“No, because I didn’t want a woman sitting at home uncared for while I was chasing around the globe to protect other people. If you haven’t noticed, the dominant personality isn’t much for letting others care for what belongs to him. I’m a pretty twenty-four-seven guy, Allie. It’s not a role I play in the bedroom and leave at the door if I’m committed. It isn’t how I’m wired.”
“Something Lexie said really hit hard this evening, and I felt like I needed to know more about us. I’m glad we talked. At least now I know it was never going to work, and it isn’t just me. I mean, for you, you’d be light-years away, and it’s not like my insecurities are going to go away overnight. You’re the last person in the world I want to have saddled with all my relationship issues.”
My eyebrows raise, waiting for her to finish. “For the record, if I were going to settle down with anyone, it would be with you. But we both know a relationship takes trust. We have that in the playroom, but when we walk outside of those doors it disappears. That’s not healthy for either one of us. It would end up driving us apart in the end. Things like what happened at the gym are going to happen. My job is helping people; it’s in my nature. The woman I marry will understand that and never have reason to doubt me, because when I’m committed, it’s for life.”
A tear slides down her cheek, and then another. “That’s why you want to keep the club and home separate?”
“One of the reasons.”
My cell rings, and I answer it, putting it on speaker. “This is Nick.”
“It’s Scottie, lad. I just got off the phone with one of Tommy’s associates. Looks like we’re going to need all hands on deck for this one. There’s a truck loaded out there somewhere full of women and a warehouse where they’re storing more. I have coordinates to the warehouse for you, but not details. Can you get the teams rounded up and get to the main harbor area? I can’t believe the fuckers are doing this in the biggest port in the city. Until we can get the situation contained, we should have any available medical help on hand that we can. The Larussios keep a physician on staff, and so does Brian.”
“I’ll get a call out to them and Larussios men too. We’re going to need Tommy’s help.”
“Text me with the plan, lad.” Scottie disconnects, leaving me with visuals of women who need our help and with the responsibility of bringing this all together.
“Sorry, Allie. We’ll have to finish this conversation later. I’m running point on this assignment, and need to get the details coordinated.”
She stands. “You get on the phone and do what you have to do. I’ll get my bag. It’s in our room.”
“You’re not going. It’s too dangerous.”
Her eyes narrow at me. “We’re not in the club and when we’re dealing with potential patients, I’m in charge.”
I may not like it, but I don’t argue much. “Get your stuff. It’s the only way I’ll know you’re safe and haven’t taken off to find us yourself.”
“Smart man.”
I narrow my eyes but can’t help admire her willfullness. She swishes away from me but is all ready to go by the time I finish a text and meet her in front of the elevators. Sheldon, Lexie, Trent and Liam join us. “I’ll keep digging on the intel end with Murphy. He has to be getting close to finding some connection to whoever is running this operation. And can someone see if Tommy found out any more about the man that we’re still missing? We never got the partner of the one at the park. I don’t want any loose ends,” I tell the group as they nod their agreement.
Lexie hasn’t said a word, but her eyes are wide with emotion and her bottom lip trembles. Allie takes her in her arms. “I need to go. Everything will be fine.”
