Page 19 of Unhinged Cravings
“You know, if they bother you so much, you could get me some clothes that fit. I’m sure you’ve noticed, I don’t have Riley’s figure and these,” I cupped my breasts, “do not fit her B cups.”
He shook his head, the corner of his mouth tugging toward a smile. “I’ll have Jill get you clothes.”
“Jill? Is that one of those sometimes sleep overs?”
Wiping his hand over his face, he muttered, “You’re a handful. No, she’s my housekeeper, and she picked up the clothes you now have on.”
“Housekeeper with benefits?”Shit, Ava, what are you doing?I was frightened of this man ten minutes ago and here I was back to the fishing again.
Another head shake. “Never let her hear you say that.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I have a meeting to attend.” He motioned for Breaker. “Finish eating, then Breaker will take you back to your room.”
“Still a hostage, huh?” I said, walking over to my food and considering how cold it likely now was. Instead, I grabbed the coffee, not caring if it was cold. I turned and looked at him as I took a sip, but what I saw in those blue orbs wasn’t playfulness or even anger. It looked more like regret before he blinked it away.
“That’s what you are, Ava.” He pulled the cuffs of his shirt down, a move I found intriguingly sexy, my eyes trailing the movement of his hands. “You need to remember that.”
Breaker stepped out onto the patio, and Emerson turned away from me. As he neared the threshold, I said, “I suppose you’ll need to remind yourself of that as well, Cade.” His steps faltered at the use of his alias, but he didn’t respond.
I dropped into my seat with a sigh, picking at the cold food and missing his company.
Chapter Ten
EMERSON
Light flickered above us, the snapping within the fading bulb in tempo with my rising heart rate.
“What do you mean, my men already picked up the shipment?” My fists opened and closed as I tried to contain the ire that was currently shading my vision with bright streaks of red.
“Yesterday,” Ronnie said, tugging at his neckline and gulping. “Said they were your guys, and that you sent them early.”
“My guys?” I snarled. “And just how did you know they were my guys?”
“Their tattoos. They all had it, showed me as proof.”
I held back the roar that threatened to escape. Letting him or my men see me out of control would only worsen the situation.
Adjusting my collar, I stepped toward Ronnie, a supplier I had worked with for years. Who I had never had issues with…until now. The nervous tugging at his shirt continued, his eyes darting to my hands, then back up. My six three frame dwarfed him but to his credit, he didn’t move. If he had, he would have been dead already.
Placing my hand around the back of his neck, I said in my calmest voice, “When have I ever sent someone in my place toinspect a shipment?” Putting pressure on his jugular, I squeezed. “When has that ever fucking happened, Ronnie?”
“N…n…never Cade.”
Releasing him, I patted his chest. “You gave my merchandise to someone else.” I had my gun pressed to his temple within seconds. “And you’re going to replace it, or I will take my time putting bullets into every part of your body, including that small dick of yours. Enough bullets to make you suffer, but not enough to make you die quickly. Then I’ll take a seat and watch as my men remove every finger, every toe, every tooth.” I knocked the butt of my gun on his forehead. “How many hours of torture do you think you can stand, Ronnie? Because I just lost a few hundred grand and I need you to know the pain of that loss as if it were your own.”
His face had gone stark white, his eyes now so large they looked like saucers. Tucking my gun away, I gave him a light smack on his face.
“Get me my product, Ronnie. You have two days, or I’ll return with a bottle of scotch and prepare to be entertained by your screams.”
As I exited the warehouse, Pack stepped in stride with me. My other men were far enough ahead and behind me for him to talk.
“You think it was them, boss?”
“I know it was.”
The thorn in my ass and the reason I was now forced to grovel to my younger brother. My punch on the roof of the car left an indent.
Pack opened the car door for me, saying, “Get in, boss. It’s not safe out here.”
I glanced at him, seeing his eyes flicking around. He was on alert for good reason. This was war and I was the target. My empire was the target.
