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“You won’t mind if I don’t call you by your position title.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it, Oliver. No one who witnessed me in torn jeans living on the street has to call me anything other than my name.”
I give a sound that comes out as a grunt.
“You sound unhappy. I never thought I would live to see the day the mighty Oliver Stone would give into the whims of a mere mortal woman.”
“Nice to hear you still consider me a god in your universe.”
The reflection of her grin in the two-way takes me back to the days where even I thought I was unstoppable.
A light touch settles over my forearm. “Don’t fall for your own lies, old friend. That is where the danger lies.”
I keep my hands in my pockets, and my eyes hooked on my pregnant wife. The cloak hides the round form of her belly. When I have her alone, I’ll take great pleasure in revealing her claimed body and reminding her who she belongs to.
Amethyst closes her eyes and I silently marvel at the beauty of her calm resolve. But beneath the serene exterior there is a storm of emotions swirling behind those gray-blue eyes. It is gathering force and the strength of it is almost palpable through the glass separating us.
The older woman beside me smells of success and old money. Red silk covers her slender frame. Silver hair is drawn back to reveal an elegant neck and a set of red lips conceal a sharp tongue. The aunt of Ryth Cross is not a woman you want to give snide remarks to or disrespect. She has a healthy affection for poison and open access to the kitchen.
It’s hard to believe we go back that far but time passes and with it loyalties are formed. We’ve gone through a lot, built our fortunes despite the odds and called in a favor or two over the years.
A seriousness spreads over her expression and covers the hint of humor she dared reveal behind our closed door. Carmen Cross isn’t known for expressing her emotions with most people, but with me she seems to drop her shields a fraction.
A slight hand settles on my arm again. “When she came to me, I almost turned her away. Actually, if I’d thought you had left her, I would have helped her leave you.”
I place my hand over hers. “Thank you for your honesty. I will repay you for your caring for my wife when I couldn’t.”
“You’ve already covered my payment. Handsomely, I might add. I have a lot of disgruntled members to deal with. Several of whom will not be happy to learn this auction was rigged before they arrived.”
The corner of my lip turns up with a knowing smirk. “Dumb bastards. They don’t matter in the end. Tomorrow they will forget all about the pregnant woman you auctioned off and be focused on the new club you’ve unveiled this evening.”
“Maybe.”
“And I’m sure the zeroes attached to my payment will help soothe any irritation Ryth might have with me for using his updated place. You did the right thing by giving her what she wanted and you stayed a friend in the process.”
I lock eyes with her through the reflection.
“Are you sure about that? Did I do right by her? Or you?”
Samuel leans a forearm over the mirror. “She’s making the sorry bastard fight for her. I don’t see how she’s wrong in knowing her worth. Something tells me she’ll make him pay for putting her through hell and I don’t blame her.”
We both turn to Samuel who hasn’t taken his eyes off my wife. The muscles of his jaw are tight and the darkness in his eyes holds unchecked envy. If it were anyone else, I would have his beating heart on a platter next to his eyeballs, but I know the deep-seated desire my friend has for a wife of his own and I don’t hold it against him for wanting that connection with another human being.
“Tell me how you really feel, brother.”
He swivels his head and nails me with a humorless look. “You hurt her. She deserves to make you bleed. But I can tell she’s got a soft heart. One you don’t deserve. How are you going to mend the pain you’ve caused?”
I mentally planned out how this night would go. Getting attacked by friends was not in the lineup of events. Their words cut like razors, but I earned the lashes for hurting Amethyst. But like I said, I would do it all over again if it meant making her and our child safe.
Those dark, tortured eyes hold mine and a lifetime of shared emotions passes between us. I feel the hurt in his soul as if it were mine. Long before Amethyst came into my life and my brother betrayed the family, Samuel and I thought nothing of sharing a woman. I stepped away from the idea with Amethyst. Someone so pure could never want her husband to share her. I’m depraved, but not a monster.
“I see the uncertainty in your eyes, brother.”
I give him a nod before we both turn and watch Amethyst shown from the room.
“You have one shot at winning her back. Don’t fuck it up.”
I try to imagine what he sees from the outside looking in and how Amethyst has to be feeling right now to lead all to this moment. She was at the wrong place at the wrong time and nearly caught a bullet meant for me. It is one helluva meet cute story. One for the books. I protected her and then her father gave me her hand in marriage for saving his daughter’s life. As fucked up as that sounds, she didn’t fight the arrangement and neither did I.
