Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 61861 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61861 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
“Collect four. We’re going to sell them ourselves.” Quinn doesn’t say a word and is gone before I can say anything else.
Michael clears his throat. “You shouldn’t do that.” His brows are furrowed in deep lines.
“He wants to play, I can play twice as hard. He just doesn’t realize it, yet. Have you all forgotten who my father was?”
Michael takes a step back with a simple nod. “Jesus! You’re starting to sound like him,” is all he says. Cane stays quiet next to us. I’ve haven’t seen Cane in the last year I’ve been away. I’ve had to because he’s running my businesses. And he’s doing it very fucking well. Better than I could have done.
My heart is dark. Just like my father’s. Maybe I was meant to be where he put me.
“What do you plan to do when you get there? You can’t be the first to break the deal. You’ll lose all accountability and the respect that you’ve been building. Then Antonio could take everything your father built in one fell swoop. I’ll stick by you, Ryken, but others won’t. Brotherhood sticks together, it’s code. But he’s pushed some pretty serious fucked up limits even for me,” Michael says.
His man behind him stays where he is.
“I’m just going to show him who the boss is, then take what’s mine.”
Michael smiles and nods his head. “You really love her, don’t you?” he asks me.
How do I answer that correctly? I love two women, but one more than the other. One has been there through it all when she should have walked away from the start. I owe her.
“He does,” Cane answers for me while shaking his head then walking back inside the club, leaving us outside.
“Your father preached to us not to love. It was for fools.”
I laugh because it sounds like him. “Yeah, well, look where he is now. I’m sure you don’t want to end up the same way?” I question then walk away, waiting for the call from Quinn.
The call that informs me he’s collected.
Chapter Three
Saskia
He hasn’t said a word since I’ve been seated next to him. The girl on his right is continually leaning into him and touching his thigh, or his hands. The food in front of me is the only thing I can concentrate on. My stomach growls loudly, and I feel him turn toward me. His breath tickles my cheek, and I try my hardest to not scowl away.
“You’re hungry.” His voice is dark, deep, dangerous, and it sends shivers all over my body. Not the good kind either.
A nod of my head is all I can muster up to give him.
“Eat. The food is here to be enjoyed.”
My hand twitches to touch it, but I can’t seem to move. He could be lying, and I don’t want to eat in front of him or these people. I don’t know who they are, or what they even want from me. Then there’s the whole issue of if I can actually keep it down or not.
“Eat, Saskia.” His words make me sit up straighter. The music seems to become lighter as his voice becomes louder. That doesn’t happen but in my head it does, because his voice is so deafening. Reaching forward, my hand touches a small piece of bread with some tomato on it. The minute it touches my lips my stomach growls in appreciation. Forgetting how good food tastes is something I’ll never forget or take for granted again.
“Good, right?” the girl to the left of me asks.
A simple head nod is all I give her. Turning to look at her, I notice that she has long blonde hair also, except she isn’t wearing white. Her lips are painted a very bold matte red. “You must be new, I’ve never seen you before.” Her eyes focus in on mine as she studies me.
“New...” I mimic her words—try them on my lips. New isn’t something I’d use to describe myself to her.
“This is Ryken Lord’s property, which we are renting,” the guy next to me, Antonio, says.
Renting? Is that how they describe taking someone who has no say in the matter?
“Ryken’s... that’s interesting,” the girl says, pursing her lips. Then her hand touches me on my thigh, and she squeezes it. “You’re awfully skinny. Is that what he wants these days?” Her hand moves from my thigh then touches either side of my chin. My eyes bulge at her words.
“That’s who he wants, Amy. Now hands off,” Antonio says.
Amy’s hands drop from my chin, but her eyes don’t leave mine. “You’re a pretty little thing, though.”
I don’t have words for her. I don’t know what’s right or wrong, or what could get me killed.
“We don’t like mutes. So you better learn to speak soon, little one. I’m not sure why Ryken wants you. I’ve seen that brunette he has with him, she’s gorgeous. Even I’ve had Ryken. He doesn’t like the silent type,” Amy states.