Page 5 of Trust In Me

“For those of you who don’t know Jimmy, he’s my father’s right-hand man. He also worked with Vernon to overthrow me. Vernon wished to remain in charge, and didn’t respect my grandfather Patrick’s decision. So, he tried to get rid of me the only way he knew how, by abusing my connection with this man right here. My grandfather has taken responsibility for Vernon, choosing to abolish him from any country we do business with, which as I’m sure you are aware doesn’t leave many. He stripped him of all his money and possessions, all he took with him was my mother, and that was her choice. I asked for permission to deal with Jimmy. I believe that leaders should punish everyone equally, but when it comes to this man, the man who was essentially a father figure to me my entire life, it’s hard to judge him on the same lines as the three men who were here before. My reason for this is not because I’m soft or sentimental, it’s because in my opinion, the crime is so much worse, the betrayal so much bigger, therefore I will need to ensure the punishment fits the crime. I feel it’s my job to tell you why he isn’t here now.” Bree looks over the crowd, who are all waiting, no doubt wondering what she’s about to say. Kellan squeezes my hand, gently reminding me that he’s still there giving me strength.

“My grandfather, Patrick, believes Jimmy has vital information that we need. Therefore, he is being interrogated. This is not me letting him off the hook, or going easy on him. I can assure you, Jimmy will pay for his crimes with his life. This man was the closest thing I had to a father and he betrayed me in the worst possible way. To allow him to live would be a sign of weakness, and I intend to prove to you that I am not weak. I intend to prove to you that no matter how close you are to me, no matter how much you mean to me, if you hurt me, you will pay. This wouldn’t have happened if I had a cock. So, this is me proving that just because I have a vagina and ovaries, they won’t be my downfall. This is me standing before you, showing you the type of leader I am. And when the time comes that I need to end Jimmy’s life, you will each get to stand here while I show you how true I am to my word. This is how I run my business. If you don’t like it, you need to get the fuck out of my city, right now,” Bree exclaims, her voice never wavering. I can tell she is tired and in pain, and thankfully the crowd have their heads downcast, trying to avoid being noticed.

I think it’s finally over. Once Bree has clarified there are no further questions, she tells them all they will be hearing from her soon, and dismisses them. I see her hobble towards the edge of the stage. She bats away Liam’s offer of help, and I see the frustration on his face. He only manages to let her take a couple more painful steps before he gently picks her up and carries her off into one of the side rooms.

Before I even know what’s happening, Kellan drags me off the stage, clearly wanting to get me out of the room now everyone is mingling. I caught the look on some of those men’s faces as they saw me. I’ve seen those predatory gazes too many times before, and thankfully Kellan didn’t want me to remain in their crosshairs.

As soon as the door closes, he slams my back against it and crowds his body against mine. His face is a mix of anger and lust, and I can feel his erection pressing against my body. I yearn for him to slam his mouth against mine, but before he can, he seems to gain some semblance of control. Running his fingers through his black, silky hair, his voice sounds like a growl as he talks. “I don’t like the idea of you being at these types of things. You don’t belong in this world. Those men are dangerous. They look at you like they’re about to consume you.”

He doesn’t take a step back, continuing to crowd me, as his scent and his presence overwhelm me. “Maybe I want to be consumed.”

Fuck, I’ve never heard my voice sound so raspy and…well, quite frankly…horny. I’m so turned on, I’m not even thinking properly. Instead, I watch as his eyes trace over my face, until they finally stop on my lips. I can’t help biting my lower lip, I’m anxious.

One arm remains above my head, caging me in, but the other he brings down and very gently tugs at my lip, removing it from my teeth. The feel of his soft fingers on my mouth has my nerves prickling with excitement. All the air sucks from the room and nothing remains except us and the chemistry crackling around us like lightning.

“This is a bad idea. Particularly if you are going to be my daughter’s nanny,” Kellan says, as his thumb sweeps across my lower lip, eliciting a moan from me that I definitely didn’t mean to give.

“I don’t think you have offered me the job. So, you aren’t my boss…yet.” What the hell? Am I encouraging him now? Hell yes I am. This guy is gorgeous and I can’t remember the last time I was kissed with passion, in a way that I wanted and I controlled. That’s when it occurs to me, I can control the situation.

Leaning forward, I waste no time capturing his lips with mine. It starts off as just a sweet kiss, but as my lips collide with his, it’s like we’re electrocuted and we come to life. Our kiss is full of passion, tongues colliding as we both grasp at each other, desperately trying to pull the other closer. I can feel him everywhere, like he’s trying to consume me, and if I thought it would feel constrictive after everything I’ve been through, it doesn’t feel that way at all. In fact, I want more…I want him to ravage me.

His hands begin to snake underneath the hem of my top, something I replicate on his body. The feel of his soft skin under my fingers is thrilling, and as I touch every inch of his strong, muscular back, I groan while my fingers trail over his hard ridges. I got so jealous when Bree told me he’s covered in tattoos, but now it’s my turn to see them.

Knocking on the door startles us both, and we jump apart and away from the door, just in time for Kian to throw it open. His knowing grin tells me our swollen lips, messy hair, and crumpled, half-removed shirts leave nothing to the imagination. “Sorry to interrupt whatever was, or was not, happening in here. But Hallie is crying. I think she wants food.”

As soon as he hears Hallie’s name, Kellan springs into action. We get to Hallie and find Liam has already got to her first, and he’s managed to calm her down in that special way that only he can, but you can tell by her grumbles that she’s hungry.

“We better get my little Hallie Bear home for some dinner. You’d like that, wouldn’t you, beautiful?” Liam coos as he tickles her tummy, making her giggle in delight.

“Liam, can you get her in the car seat?” Kellan asks, and Liam agrees as soon as he sees Kian is helping Bree.

I go to get in the back seat, but Kellan blocks me, leaning in to whisper in my ear. “I don’t know what that means. There’s a lot of emotions flying around. There’s no denying I’m attracted to you, but you have more secrets than I can get behind. You already know I have done a background search on you, and you didn’t exist before the age of sixteen. Bree is the only reason I haven’t dug further, but her support will only get you so far. I want to believe you are genuine, but I can’t. To say I’ve been burnt before is a massive fucking understatement. So, as much as I want this to continue, and fuck, I really do. I want to kiss you everywhere, to own your body completely, but I can’t do that until I trust you, even just a little. I’m sorry.” As he pulls away, I feel as though he’s ripping my heart out and stomping all over it.

There’s a reason I changed my name and hid my background from everyone. It’s a past I’ve wiped from my life because I would rather forget it. I get that he’s been burned in the past. Shayla must be a real bitch to have done this much damage to him. He will get no benefits from learning the events of a life I lived a long time ago.

Bree’s the only person from my old life that I stayed in contact with, and I only did that because Bree had no idea what was going on in my life back then, she was so caught up in her own family shit. I’m not saying she was a bad friend, more that I was good at hiding it. And it will stay hidden. I like Kellan, and I would love to work with Hallie, but I’m not jumping through hoops for him. Either he likes me or he doesn’t.

With a shake of my head, I try to push back the tears as I climb into the car, hating the feel of his body next to mine. I keep my eyes forward, doing my best to ignore Hallie and Kellan, so I don’t have to think about what I have just lost because of him and the past I am so desperate to flee from.

I’m pulled from my thoughts as Bree clears her throat to get my attention. I’m still sitting on her bed, lost in my own world as she paces. She starts to get back onto the bed, so I scoot over, making room for her next to me.

“Do you ever think he will stop avoiding me? I know he’s mad and wants me to talk about my past, but I don’t want to,” I snap, and Bree just pulls me against her for a hug.

“Then don’t talk about it. The problem is that both you and Kellan are broken. I can’t even begin to explain what he has been through, and I think I only know a fraction of your story. Neither of you knows how to trust, yet you desperately want to. Eventually, you are both going to have to go in blind. Learn to trust each other. Trust isn’t going to be gained by learning someone’s secrets, trust is earned. Show him that you can be trusted, and he will do the same with you. It takes time, it doesn’t happen instantly. Just get to know each other. Put up with his brooding bullshit and he will put up with your evasive secretiveness. You both have flaws, you just have to learn to live with them. My advice would be to just be friends. Get to know each other. The rest will follow if it’s supposed to.”

I can’t help but shake my head with a slight giggle. “Okay, okay, oh wise one. I will do as I’m told,” I reply, my voice dripping with sarcasm. But the more I think about it, she’s got a damn good point!

“Kellan, for the love of all that is holy, will you stop jigging that fucking leg. Hallie is with Bree, who she loves very much. Yes, Mia is with her, but they are all still in the same house. I’m not asking you to trust Mia, I’m asking you to trust Bree. Now, please, focus. We need to get this work done so we can start thinking about rebooking the wedding,” Liam moans from beside me.

We’re both sitting at the desks I set up in my workroom, and Liam’s working on the one screen I allow others to touch. We’ve been doing our background research on some of the newer gang leaders that have emerged after Bree shot the old ones. We’re trying to find out, can they get rid of their chauvinistic ideologies and let Bree rule them?

Normally I like this kind of investigative work, I like doing deep dives on who they are, and reading all their social media and texts. It’s kinda like having an insight into someone’s life that you shouldn’t be allowed to have, it’s addictive. I can tell early on whether I would work with the person or not, and Liam often takes my advice into account when he’s thinking about taking a job. Those jobs are few and far between compared to before we met Bree. Keeping her alive and in power is turning into a full-time job. One that pays nicely, but I would do for free if I could afford to.

Despite never saying this to Liam in the early days, mainly because I thought their plan was fucking moronic, I actually liked Bree. Now that I’ve really got to know her, I like her even more. She may be feisty with balls of steel, but she knows how to leave all that psycho bullshit at the door and just be a fun, kind person. I thought when she first got home from the hospital she might struggle with having me and Hallie in her space. Seeing my baby looking so happy and healthy when theirs wasn’t even given a chance must be hard to deal with. But, if it did bother her, she never let me, and especially not Hallie, see it. Then again, they live in a completely different wing of the house, and this place, since Bree had the extension built, could probably house another ten people. I think secretly that’s what she wants. All the people she loves under one roof. That way she can protect us all.

“This Dante guy, whilst being a bit of a tool, he looks genuine. We might need to have a word with him regarding the way he treats women, though. From my last count he currently has two pregnant, one fiancée, a girlfriend, and two fuck buddies. I’m guessing that’s one for every night of the week, and a day off to get over all that bullshit. But, seriously, he seems to be running CR0 with an iron fist, and the couple of anti-Bree supporters he identified, they were dealt with. So, I think it’s safe to continue working with him.”

Before Liam has a chance to answer, the theme tune fromJawsbegins to ring out from his phone and as Liam groans, it doesn’t take me a second guess to work out who he could possibly have assigned that tune to. Who in his life does he see as an impending threat? His father. The one bad thing that has come out of his relationship with Bree is needing to allow that piece of shit back into his life.

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