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“Noah?” she asks.
“Safe as he’s going to be right where he is. Guard is taking him aside tonight and explaining what we have and that he needs to keep clean and not fall for his father’s lines.” I pause and then decide to go for it. “If we find him first, chances are I’m going to want to teach him a painful lesson. Then again, if we don’t find him and he can’t pay, they’ll kill him. He’s putting you up as collateral for his gambling addiction. Personally, I’m okay with him being dead, especially after what he’s done to you. The only thing I’m concerned about is if they come after you to pay off what he owes all these guys.”
“I don’t care what happens to him,” Charli says. Her jaw is tight, and her anger is rising to the surface. “I’ve spent years trying to figure out what was wrong withme. Like it was my fault he raped me. He told me I was too pretty for another man to have.Too pretty!”she bites out. “Then he beats my mother to the point that I had to call for help to get her off the floor, and after spending a night at the hospital with my baby brother crying in my arms, I had to go home and clean up her blood so Noah wouldn’t have to see it.” Charlotte shifts off my lap and begins to pace the room. “Then he has the nerve to pimp me out, and whoever these people are that he owes money to come after me and Noah. Noah’s a kid. He finally has a chance at a good life. He’s killing it in school. He’s finally eating right, with good men around to guide him. I want that for him. Mom would want that for him.” She crosses her arms protectively over her chest. “Maybe I should go away for a while. Lead my father away from here, for Noah’s sake.”
“Ah, fuckno!” I shout, rising from my place on the couch.
“But—”
“That’s what he wants. He wants you to run. Out there”—I point to the window—“you’re vulnerable. You’re all alone.” I walk to where she’s standing, gently grasping her upper arms, holding her closer to me. “Stick with me. I swear to you, you and Noah will be safe. The Pride has a plan. We’ve got connections that will get us the information we need to finish this and finish it right.” I put my arms around her, and she rests her cheek on my chest. “Trust me, baby. We’re building a future together. You and me and Noah. Our family is the Pride and those crazy women of theirs who love you like a sister. This is where you belong. Don’t let him take more from you than he already has.”
“I hate him,” she whispers into my shirt, clawing her fingers into the material. “A daughter shouldn’t wish her father dead, but I do. What does that say about me? What’s wrong with me?”
“Nothing,” I say, brushing my lips over the top of her head. “He’s not your father. He’s a glorified sperm donor at best. Your words, babe.” I hear her release a heavy breath.
“I should get some sleep.” She tilts her head back and peers up at me. “Are you going to take Noah’s room?”
“I’d rather sleep beside you.” I swipe my thumb along the apple of her cheek. I see the apprehension in her eyes. “Just sleep, baby. The first time we’re together, it won’t be after a discussion about your good-for-nothing father.”
I don’t expect her to agree, but I am probably going to be up most of the night anyway, checking in on her.
“Okay. Just sleep.”
“No pressure. If this ain’t right for you, I’m cool.”
“I’ll confess that I’ll probably sleep better knowing you’re beside me,” she says with a shy smile.
“Go get ready for bed. I’m going to check the house one more time, and I’ll be there in a few minutes.” I kiss her lightly on the mouth and let her go.
As she leaves the room, I drop onto the couch, elbows on my knees, face in my hands. Her words come back to me, but it’s not the words, it’s the intense emotions behind them that I think about.“I hate him,”she said.“I don’t care what happens to him.”
Tonight, Guard is going to take Noah aside and warn him of the dangers that may present themselves. Noah will be under strict orders not to engage with his father under any circumstances. To be on the safe side, one of the brothers will be his ride to and from school. Last thing we need is to have them use Noah to get to Charlotte.
Tomorrow, after I drop Charlotte off at work, I’m heading straight to the club, and Orion and I are doing a deep search of the web to gather as much as we can on the list of creditors we’ve found so far. The original hundred thousand has climbed to half a million. With the help of Reno and his association with other Mafia families, we put a halt to extending any credit to Paul Venti.
This only means that he’ll come out of the woodwork soon.
EIGHT
Be Ready
CHARLOTTE
Mmm, what a lovely dream. Soft butterfly kisses on my shoulder, a hand gently running over my belly and drifting down over my thigh as I lie on my side, with Wildcard nestled behind me. His lips move to the column of my throat, nipping and murmuring such sweetness.
“You feel so good. Taste so good…” his low, growling voice says in my ear, sending a pleasurable shiver down my spine.
It’s my dream, and I can do whatever I want. So I shuffle my behind into his hardness, because I love the sound he makes when I do, and the way his hands hold my hips as he grinds into me. When his fingers move upward to caress the underside of my breast, a moan escapes my lips.
“We gotta stop now, baby. If this goes on much longer, I won’t be able to.” His sexy voice penetrates my brain. This is very, very real. When I freeze, his hand immediately stops. “It’s okay, dollface. We can wait till you’re ready.”
I don’t want to lose his touch. I love the way his body moves against mine. His massive arms are so gentle, making me feel sexy and wanted as they hold me.
“I don’t want to stop,” I confess, biting my lower lip as he plays with my nipple.
‘You have to be sure. Nothing has to happen now.”
“Now is good.”
