Page 33 of Forbidden

Chapter Nine

Layla

Just be polite and then get out of there. My hand hovered over the doorbell. Or I could bail and tell Cyrus I couldn’t do it. Make up an excuse that Reaper scares the hell out of me and I couldn’t be in a room with him alone.

But Cyrus knew Reaper wouldn’t hurt me. If anything, all Reaper had done was be nice to me.

I groaned. Just be polite. I pushed the doorbell. Just be polite. Give the facts and then bolt.

The door opened and there stood Satan himself: Tyson. He went cold on me that Monday and had ignored me for the past two weeks. At first, I shrugged off his cold front and was polite and made conversation with him. I got one-word answers in return.

That lasted for five days. FIVE DAYS I put up with it! Nearly a full week. Then I picked up the hint that he wanted nothing to do with me. I went from being polite to ignoring him back. We didn’t speak. We didn’t look at each other.

And I hoped his Dad wasn’t planning on him being in the meeting. The meeting I was being forced to attend because I did the fucking books.

I was cursing the day I’d ever agreed to do the books.

He stood back and didn’t welcome me in. He didn’t even say a word and I didn’t expect him to. He was a dick. A selfish dick. And I hated the fact that I let him touch me. Well, that would never happen again. Thank god we didn’t have sex that night.

I walked past him, following Reaper’s voice.

I walked into the study and my life got a bit shittier when Cameron turned around. He would be dead if Cyrus knew he made a move on me. Seriously, you don’t just feel up a girl! Especially one that has no interest in you whatsoever.

“Layla, babe. How are you?” He actually had the guts to grin at me.

“Fine. How’s the eye?” Had I made my point when I punched him? “Personally, I think you got off lightly because my right hook is much meaner. My left not so good.” I shrugged, carefree. “But clearly good enough to leave a bruise.” And now I was the one grinning as his face soured.

Reaper was smirking, looking between us. “So much for a bar fight, Cameron.”

“He got off lightly. Cyrus would have killed him.” I gave Cameron a pointed look. Cyrus would hurt him if he knew. “In fact, I think it would have been enough for him to pull his gun out. Do you squirm when a gun is pointed at you, Cameron?” I turned to look at him and I had never disliked someone as much as I dislike him.

You don’t touch a girl when she says no. Fact. Even bikers understood that.

“I told you I was sorry,” Cameron snapped at me. “You’ve already brought it to my president’s attention now. I don’t see why you need to bring it to yours,” he gritted out, like he was in trouble now because I had mentioned it.

“He isn’t my president. He is my dad,” I corrected him. “The last man that did what you did to me got his hand shot off.” And that was true. I was fourteen.

“I’ll handle it, Layla. You don’t need to get Cyrus involved,” Reaper said, getting up, and I had to break my glare off of Cameron to look at him.

“It was handled when I punched him. You don’t need to get involved.” I looked at his paperwork. “You ready to talk business now?”

“Yeah take a seat, and, Cameron, fuck off.” Reaper sat back down. I wished I could fast forward the next hour. It wouldn’t take longer than an hour, right? “Tyson, close the door.”

I pinched my eyes shut for a second. Great, he was still around. Satan. Typically, he would still be around. He took the armchair next to mine. I wanted nothing more than to move my chair further from his. I knew it was childish but it was true and I wasn’t a liar.

If he knew what was good for him, he better remain silent.

I would tell them what I had to. And then I was leaving and telling Cyrus a new rule: I would be going to no meeting without him.

I would not be up against and in a room alone with the Wilson boys again. Reaper and Tyson were as deadly as each other.

Turned out Tyson was a lot like his Dad, with a reputation leading up to his father’s.

I had to respect him for it. Being the Reaper’s son wouldn’t be easy. But still, that didn’t mean you treated women like shit. How you treat a woman says a lot about a man.

“How many fronts have you lot set up by now?” Reaper lit up a cigarette and cursed when his phone started ringing. He frowned at whoever was calling and answered.

I didn’t want to, in fact, everything was telling me not to. But my eyes glanced at Tyson, whose eyes were on me. He wasn’t glaring at me and I’d have to say that was a miracle. In fact, the only thing painted in his blue eyes was regret.

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