Page 21 of Red

When her grandmother got sick, I’m guessing the timeline of the marriage was moved up. I’m betting Nicholas was supposed to take over as the leader, but the members wouldn’t have accepted him unless he was a part of the family. That fucker is always trying to reach for more power than he should. He has another thing coming though if he thinks I’m gonna let that happen. He’ll never get his hands on her. I’ll kill him first.

That’s why my plan is the best one we have. It’ll force the Old Lady to come up with a different plan since she won’t be marrying Nicholas. I’ll take over The Wolves with Blanche by my side and still get revenge for my family. Now, just to convince my Red.

She must sense me behind her because she looks over her shoulder. Her eyes are strong with lust mixed with another emotion. I want to find out more, but that will have to wait. She owns me. My body reacts to her immediately, but I need to get her to accept my plan first. Then we can move on to the fun part.

Kissing her neck, I whisper, “Red, we need to discuss a plan that will protect you from your grandmother and Nicholas. They’ll be coming after you again and it won’t stop ‘til we end all of this.”

She takes a deep breath. “You’re right. I keep wanting to avoid this whole situation because it just feels so ludicrous, but I know that this problem won’t be going away. What are you thinking? You seem to have a plan. Care to share?”

“First, let me ask you what do you want to do with The Wolves once we get you out from under Nicholas and your grandmother?”

“I want to dismantle it. All they do is hurt and control people.”

I hum, taking in what she’s saying and I like it. Her need for vengeance and control is so breathtaking, it calls to my heart and soul. Now I just need Blanche to see that we need each other. Starting with my plan.

“Blanche, I do have a plan. Can you listen to the whole thing before you react?”

Nodding, she answers, “Yes.”

“Good, Red. We know that your grandmother plans on marrying you to Nicholas. What we need to do is find a way to interfere. Nicholas is an asshole and not meant for you.”

I look at her and examine her face to see how she’s reacting to that statement. She’s just nodding with a look of indifference, but I can tell that she’s listening. I continue, “I can’t let that happen. It will not happen. Marry me instead.”

Blanche’s face twists with my statement, then she screeches, “What? You want me to marry you?”

“Yes. My family used to be a part of the business and was high in the organization. Your grandmother won’t be able to argue. The Wolves will accept this marriage.”

Blanche still doesn’t seem to be sure about this. Hoping to pull her to my side, I appeal to her need for fairness. Softly, I say, “We’re going to make her think that you have decided to accept her plan. Then we’ll take over and run Le Milieu together. We’re getting rid of the human trafficking ring and pissing your grandmother off, but it’ll be too late for her. We will be in charge.”

Blanche just stares at me dumbfounded and I’m not sure what she’s thinking. Tears start to form in the corner of her eyes, and she sniffles.

“Human trafficking? When she told me about The Wolves, her description sounded like human trafficking, but I was hoping that wasn't true.”

I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so emotional when it comes to the well-being of others. Her heart is so large, it’s something that I’m beginning to respect and adore about her. Contemplating her response, I remember that she didn’t know that her family was in the underworld let alone human trafficking. All of this is still so fresh for her. I don’t know how she’s still standing after all the shit that has been put on her over the last few weeks.

The Wolves’ involvement in human trafficking is the reason I decided to team up with Jake. At first, I wanted to just take down the old lady, but when I learned about the trafficking rings, I knew we had to put a stop to those too. It’s as if she just read my mind.

“Zeev, we have to stop the trafficking and get those who are affected back to their families or help them start a new life.” With more of a purpose now, she continues, “I will take over for The Wolves and put a stop to this.”

Letting out a deep breath of relief that seemed to be caught in my chest, I tease, “Blanche, is that all you heard?”

Of course this woman would be more worried about the others instead of herself. It seems that she doesn’t have any self-preservation.

“What about the marriage idea? I need you to think hard about this plan. I want you to know that I’m not the kinda guy who takes marriage lightly. When you become my wife, that’s it. There will be no divorce, you’ll belong to me.”

She turns pale a little bit as I am speaking to her, and I think she’s going to say no to my proposition of marriage. Surprising me, she takes a deep breath and I can’t believe the next words that come from her mouth.

“Yes, Zeev, I will marry you. I can’t have my grandmother force me into marriage. I thought I would marry for love but desire and safety are enough. Though I’m sure you might change your mind about divorce in the future once you tire of me.”

I keep my mouth shut, she has no idea how much I want her. I know that I will never tire of her. This is all part of my plan. If she thinks the only reason I’m marrying her is to keep her from that shithead Nicholas, she has another thing coming. I plan on having tons of babies with her. If she wants, I’ll take over the family business. She only needs to worry about being my wife and the mother of my children. She’ll never have to worry about anything ever again. Blanche wants to destroy the family business, but she doesn’t realize that isn’t going to happen.

There’s always someone else willing to come in and take over, using that power to harm others. To make sure this doesn’t happen, I want complete control of all of it. By the time she realizes, she won’t be able to escape me. They call me The Wolf. I’m a hunter and I always get my prey.

I’ve been waiting a long time to get my revenge and I’m so close, I can taste it. I originally was just gonna kill them, but this is even better. A dream that I never thought would be possible is at my fingertips. I’ll get the woman who is made for me and the business that I was raised to take over.

I graze my fingers on her cheek and down her jawbone. Her beautiful creamy skin is the total opposite of my tan skin, her hair dark to my light. She is the balance that I need in my life. I don't deserve her. I just hope that she doesn’t hate me once my full plan comes to light. She wraps her arms around me, leaning into me. At first, I stiffen, but once her scent envelops me, I start to relax. Wrapping my arms around her, I bring her in even closer.

I look down into her beautiful green eyes, I graze my lips across hers, and I see something else in her eyes. Could she be feeling the same as me? After the life I’ve lived I’ve never expected to ever feel love. Death and evil have always been after me. With her, I feel like I might have a chance.

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