Page 63 of Exposed

Dex’s brows rise, and fuck me, I think he’s impressed. He pulls in a deep breath and rocks back on his heels. “Twenty-five percent. That’s it. I’ve never paid more than fifteen. We’ll see if you can fulfill your promise to double my cashflow. I’ll believe it when I see it.

I don’t breathe a sigh of relief. Not yet. Not until I can get us far away from this place. “I’ll be in touch.”

“And the wedding. I insist. It’s the least I can do. But it needs to be soon.” Dex adds and shifts his gaze to the woman in my arms and lowers his voice to feign a whisper. “You don’t want to look pregnant in your wedding pictures, do you, Goldie? My perfect and proper sister knocked up out of wedlock. You really are pushing the boundaries, aren’t you?”

Goldie turns her head against my chest to look up at Dex, but she doesn’t make a move away from me. She shocks me when she does something I told her not to do when we were preparing for tonight. Engage with her brother and input herself into business. “I’ll agree to the wedding if you promise that Daniel and I are safe from the cartel. Forever. You got The Pink and that’s what you wanted. But what happened tonight will never happen again. You’ll treat my fiancé like family—real family. Not like you ever treated me.”

Dex looks impressed.

Actually impressed.

Hell, I am too.

This shit will be wrapped up long before any wedding can happen.

Dex nods. “I’ll have scheduling reach out to you. We’ll get you the soonest available date.”

If what Goldie says is true, that’ll be two years from now.

Easy.

“I’ll cancel and move things around for you. We’ll get it done fast.”

Shit.

I’m about to argue, but Goldie continues to negotiate the deal. “I have no desire to get married fast. Being pregnant in pictures is just fine with me.” She tips her head to me. “If you’re okay with that. Our love for our baby will be preserved forever.”

I press my lips to her forehead. “Whatever you want, baby.”

The fear that’s been etched in her expression fades when the new-to-me nickname hits her like I use it daily.

She turns back to her brother. “It will be the date we want. I get one wedding. I want it to be perfect but small. And I want my mother here. That won’t be easy. But if you agree to do business with Daniel and give us the safety you afford to everyone else who works for you, then I agree to be married here.”

Dex looks at me and holds his arms out. “My little sister … she acts like it’s a burden to be married here. Twenty-five percent and a wedding. We have a deal.”

I shift Goldie to my other side and offer the leader of the Carter Cartel my right hand. “I’ll get with you about the first shipment. I’m ready to get this shit going.”

“And get married,” Dex amends.

“Only if you agree to Goldie’s terms,” I remind him.

“Family,” Dex drawls, making the word sound dirty, like something you’d scrape off the bottom of your shoe after walking through the pits of hell. “I’ll do anything for family.”

I reach to the table and grab Goldie’s small purse to hand it to her. “I’ll be in touch.”

“You’ll both be in touch.” Dex looks to Goldie like he’s just called checkmate in some sick game of chess. “Pregnant or not, you’ll make a beautiful bride, Goldie. I can’t wait.”

13

ROMEO

Goldie

“What just happened?”

King squeezes my hand as he walks nonchalantly to his car while scanning the parking lot and surrounding acres like we’ll be attacked on our way out.

“Let’s get the fuck out of here before we talk.” His voice is so low and muffled, I wonder if he even moved his lips.

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