Page 62 of Dark Obsession
"Then it was Jenna, which is still your fucking problem. Get the laptop back. Now. And put a bullet in her fucking head before I do it."
Every muscle in my body locked. "Don't touch her, Ash. She's a goldmine, and I'll not have you fucking that up. You'll implicate us both. Just chill out and I'll go pay our old friend a visit and see what's up."
"You do that. I'm on guard against all you bitches right now. Especially you. Asshole."
"Sorry you feel that way, baby doll. I'll be in touch." I dropped the call and glanced down at Mikey. "Erik Bertinelli took Darek's laptop out of Ashley's place while she was sleeping last night."
"And he let you guys see him on the camera?"
"Oh yeah. I'm more than sure he meant for that to happen."
"What?" Mikey snorted. "Why the fuck would he want that?"
"To send a message. When the Bertinellis get involved, death is soon to follow."
"Right, or that he wants you to come see him. Maybe he understands what you're up against."
"I don't need Erik's help, Mikey. He's a back-stabbing bastard. My days of covering his ass are over."
"He probably feels the same." Mikey shrugged as I growled at him.
"Stay out of it."
He lifted his hands. "No problem, but you need to go see him. You can't protect the woman you love when you're the one being sent to kill her. The math doesn't work out, man. I promise."
He was right. Fuck me. He was right.
* * *
I decided to forgo the visit to see Erik just yet. Finding him on the streets or getting him alone was a bad idea. Our last face to face had our guns drawn and some nasty words between us. He wanted me inducted into the Bertinelli family and I couldn't live that life.
You might get welcomed through the front door, but there was no exit once you were in. Fuck that. I needed to know my life was my own. Erik had put his ass on the line with his Papa to get me a spot. Me refusing was a big damn deal.
"Too bad, bitch." I walked into Kadia and pulled out my phone, checking to see if my woman was done being pissy with me. She had another night alone before I showed up at her door and forced myself on her.
She belonged to me. Somehow she kept forgetting that shit.
"Damn," one of the guys beside me muttered as some of his friends started making catcalls.
I turned to watch a pretty woman walk across the dance floor, around the edges, and my blood ran cold. That wasn't just any woman. It wasmywoman.
"Hey. Watch your fucking mouth." I backhanded the guy nearest me and walked toward the dance floor as Jenna was jerked into some big guy’s arms. She pulled away, but he wasn't having any of it. "Wrong girl, asshole."
I grabbed him by the front of the shirt and popped him three times in the face before turning to her and growling, "What the hell do you think you're doing, dressed like that?"
Her tight black dress left little to the imagination, and all I could see was red. She'd come there to teach me a lesson, or so she thought. The joke was soon to be on her.
"You don't own me, Nate. You made your choice." She moved back as I reached for her.
"Jenna. I'm not playing right now. There's a lot of shit going on. I didn't make a choice other than to be your man. Get the fuck over here." I reached for her again, and the dude stepped back in my way, his face already busted up from our first encounter.
"Hey. The woman said no, asshole." He reached for me and I slapped his hand away.
"I'm gonna break this poor guy's neck because you wanted to reject me for not supporting your brother's situation. Is this really how we're going to do this?" I glanced around the guy and caught my girl's eye. "I didn't say that your brother didn't kill himself. I just didn't want you running into danger. Fucking sue me for caring."
The guy swung at me, and I spun him around and locked his own arms around him, starting to slowly choke him out.
"Nate. Stop it. Shit. Stop." She reached out and touched my arm, pleading with me with her big brown eyes. "Please."
