Page 51 of Prettiest Little Thief
He scoffed and sat back in his chair, the hinges squeaking. “You have some balls coming to my compound and making demands. Mind you, after you shot Rocco.”
My elbows came to rest on my knees as I glared at him. “Rocco is a piece of shit woman beater. He touched what’s mine. I’m sure you would have done the same thing.” The fury of finding Monroe after a night in the dungeons started to leak back into me. Beneath my skin and into my veins. I would do anything to keep Monroe safe.Anything.
Charles tapped his finger on the arm of his seat. “Maybe when I was younger and led around by my dick.”
My jaw clenched hard, making my teeth ache. I did my damndest not to throw myself across his desk and kill him. Strangle him with my bare hands and watch the light go out of his eyes. Then I would spit on his fucking corpse.
“Monroe will be my wife before tomorrow is over. This will be handled tonight, and you and your men will never make contact with her again. Is that clear?”
Charles chuckled. “You know, you’re an asshole, but I like you. You remind me of my brother.” He reached forward and pulled open a drawer. Raf and Fox both cocked their pistols, and when I glanced at Charles’s guard against the wall, there was glee sparkling in his eyes.
“Whoa. I’m just getting a stogie.” Charles held up his hands to show us the cigar and lighter he withdrew from his desk. The men beside me relaxed as he settled back and lit the end, puffing. Smoke curled into the air, a layer of haze surrounding him. “I’ll take your money, and her debt will be paid. I’ll get the word out to the boys to stand down and stop searching for her.”
Rafael threw a large bag full of money onto the table and backed up again.
“Any other requests, Lucas?” Charles asked with a teasing nature.
“Tell Rocco, if I see him anywhere, it won’t be his knees he has to worry about.” I pushed to my feet and stalked out of the office, Fox and Rafael in tow.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Monroe
Lucas wasn’t kidding when he said a couple of phone calls would have everything taken care of. The designer who had helped me with the dress for the masquerade was back at the house within hours. Fox and Evie were both informed of the wedding, and the forms for the marriage license were processed. The only thing left for me to worry about was my hair and makeup. Lucas said he could have some people over to help put me together, but Evie was a damn magician when it came to cosmetics and hairstyling. Besides, I needed to unload all of the thoughts in my head before it exploded.
“Are you sure you want to marry Lucas?” Evie asked.
“Do I have a choice?” I stared at her in the mirror as she got to work on my hair.
“There’s always a choice, amore.”
The feelings for Lucas that crept beneath my shield may have been plain to see for a lot of people. But saying it aloud was another story. If I told Evie how right it felt to go through with this, there would be no turning back for me. If Lucas didn’t feel the same, it would break something in me.
The truth was on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed it back down.
“That’s the thing, there isn’t. If I don’t marry him, then the Crimsons will be after me. At least once we’re divorced, I’ll be free to go back to school and start living again.” My hands fidgeted in my lap.
Evie sighed. “And you’re okay with all of this?”
“At this point, what else can I do? I’m a target, and I can’t drag anyone else down with me. Especially you. That night, I was so afraid that you were going to get wrapped up in my drama with the brotherhood.” My eyes burned but I took a deep breath.
Evie set the curling iron down. She placed her hands on my shoulders and gave me a light squeeze. “I would go through it all with you. You’re my ride or die, bitch.”
A choked laugh came from me, almost knocking away the need to cry. “You don’t deserve that. It’s my problem.”
“Something else is bothering you. You never get this emotional without a good reason. What’s going on?” She came to stand in front of me, leaning against the counter and crossing her arms over her chest.
I shook my head and stared down at my hands in my lap. “So much has happened in the last couple of weeks. The accident, jail, the Crimsons… Frankie.”
“Oh. I see. Frankie is the problem.” Anger burned in her brown eyes.
“He’s a part of it. It’s just so weird not having him around anymore.”
“Heleftyou, Roe. He doesn’t deserve your tears.” Evie was right. I knew she was, but it didn’t stop the ache that had settled in my sternum from the loss of such a lengthy friendship.
“I know. I know. I’m just being a big crybaby.” I wiped the tear away that had slipped past my lashes.
“No, you’re human. You have every right to be upset. But promise me something.” She ran her fingers through my strands.
