Page 82 of Controlling Chloe

“What’s going on?” I ask suspiciously.

Cali rocks back and forth on the balls of her feet. “Well, I heard through the grapevine that you want to open your own cosmetic company. I, uh, well, I never had a career for myself, and since I married Daddy, I haven’t worked but I’d like to have some kind of job. So, it got me thinking, and I talked to Scarlet and Paisley; what do you think about the four of us going in and starting a cosmetics line together?” Cali asks nervously.

My eyes widen as I stare at their hopeful expressions. Does she mean that? They want to go into business with me? But…

“That’s the sweetest thing ever, but I don’t have the startup money right now,” I tell them.

Cali smiles. “But I do. It’s all sitting in the bank collecting interest. I’d love to be your backer. And Scarlet has experience with marketing and secretarial stuff and Paisley knows accounting. So, we need someone who knows makeup, and that happens to be you, plus you know how to read and negotiate contracts. A multi-woman-owned business. It would be perfect.”

My mouth falls open. Cali is offering to back my business?

“Are you serious?” I must be dreaming. This feels like a dream. I might not know Cali and Scarlet all that well yet, but I know enough to know they are my people.

Cali steps forward and holds out a small, rectangular piece of paper. A check. For five hundred thousand dollars. Made out to me. Well, made out to Chloe Gilroy. I’m sure Bash influenced that.

“I’ve never been more serious. Let’s go into business together. We’re family. All four of us. And with these assholes hovering all the time, we have to stick together,” Cali says with a grin.

“Cali Ann!” Declan shouts from somewhere outside of the room.

A second later, he appears in the doorway, glaring at Cali who’s giggling and winking at me. “See what I mean? Hovering.”

Tears stream down my face, but I’m grinning from ear to ear. “Yes! Yes, let’s do it! But only under one condition. We do it as a team. It’s not just my business. It’s our business.”

Cali, Scarlet, and Paisley exchange looks with each other before they turn back to me and nod.

Turning to Bash, I tilt my head back to look up at him. He’s grinning, a triumphant look in his eyes that makes me want to kiss him and slap him at the same time.

“This money didn’t come from you, did it?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “Nope. It didn’t come from me, baby.”

I look around the beautiful filming room again and let out a sob before I run to him, throwing myself into his arms. “I love you, Daddy. Thank you for this. It’s beyond perfect.”

“You’re the one who’s beyond perfect, Little one. I love you.”

28

BASH

Flexing my bloody knuckles, I rest my elbows on my knees and stare at the man sitting before me. His face is in worse shape than my hands, and fuck, it feels good. Satisfying.

“I’m going to ask you again. Where can I find your boss?”

The man hasn’t given me any information other than confirming he was the one who was meeting with Ronald to take Chloe in exchange for Ronald’s debt. Too bad for this fucker, that sealed his fate. Doesn’t matter whether he had plans to do anything to my girl or not.

“I don’t know,” he says with a groan.

Kieran moves toward him, a knife in hand, and holds it up to his throat. “This isn’t a game, asshole. This is your life. Your family’s lives. You really want to fuck with us?”

The guy laughs. “You’re going to kill me either way, and I have no family, so fuck you!”

I chuckle and pull my gun from my shoulder holster then point it at his knee and pull the trigger. He howls in pain, screaming out into the empty warehouse.

“Where’s Smoke?” I demand.

When he stops crying out in pain, he grits his teeth together. “Somewhere you’ll never find him. And he’ll come for you for this. He’ll come for all of you. Mark my words.”

Kieran and I laugh as I get up and move to the table where we have a variety of tools spread out. Choosing the sharpest knife, I spin it in my fingers as I take Kieran’s place behind the guy. Leaning down, so my mouth is near his ear, I line the blade up to the perfect spot at his throat.

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