Page 23 of Havoc

“I told you to walk away, and you didn’t listen. If you had, this wouldn’t have happened, and I wouldn’t have had to come down here.”

The hell?

“I’m confused, Grim. At what point did I ask for your help?”

“Excuse me.” He stepped closer.

“You’re coming down on me because I didn’t jump when you said so, but I was perfectly fine handling things myself.”

“Was that before or after Sasha had his hands on you?”

Oh, shit, he was pushing my buttons today.

“His hands have been in a lot more places than on my wrist.” The words sprung unwanted from my mouth, and I wanted to bite off my tongue.

His face went to stone and his chest rose as he dragged in a deep breath. If we weren’t in the middle of the lobby at Indulge, I bet he’d have me thrown in a trunk and dumped me somewhere.

“For the sake of your safety, Kenna, I’m going to walk away, but hear me when I say this. You will not be attending that dinner tonight.”

He did not just threaten me.Oh! I felt my inner Minnie rise to the surface, and I licked my lips, ready for the kill.

“Small problem with that, Mr. Gates.” I pressed my toes into the floor to gain some height, leaned in, and pressed my hands flat against his vibrating chest. I let my perfume invade his nostrils for a moment and slowly licked my lips as I peeked at him from under my lashes. “I know exactly what you’re capable of.”

His eyes flashed something wicked as I stepped away, aware of where we were and who might be around. It had been a daring move on my part. It felt good to know he had no option to display his feelings here in the middle of his father’s hotel lobby. I turned and marched away before he could gather himself. The one good thing about Grim pushing my buttons was that the feeling of being scared in my own skin was replaced with hot flames. It fueled my fire and made me think I could handle everything, at least for a while.

As much as I wanted to skip out on dinner, I couldn’t. I’d received a short text early that morning that left me with a haunted feeling. Did he have eyeseverywhere?

Unknown: Be at the dinner tonight.

The text wasn’t the only reason I’d be at that dinner. I sure as hell wasn’t about to let Grim tell me what I was or wasn’t allowed to do. He might feel he could tell me what to do at work, but I had to set some ground rules when it came to my personal life.

* * *

“More wine, miss?”The waiter held the bottle, and at my nod, he poured it. I used the tip of my finger to tilt the bottom to add more to my glass. He chuckled and left the bottle behind.

My nerves were incredibly shot, and the dinner didn’t help. Mom announced she was about to leave on another job, and I wasn’t sure how I would be able to navigate my family without her.

“Thank you.” I smiled, but it dropped when I realized Calli had focused on me.

“So, is it true?”

“Is what true?” I knew better than to play into her games, but I’d been silent through most of the dinner, so I figured I’d entertain her for a moment.

“The rumor.”

“Calli, maybe not here.” Simon threw a pointed look at our guest, Sasha. Of course, that caught Dad’s attention.

“It’s fine.” She dismissed him. “Is it true you got jumped in the parking lot?”

“I’m sure that’s just gossip.” Dad attempted to wave her off, but Mom caught it and threw a worried expression at me. Dad’s face went tight, and he glared at Calli as the table went quiet.

“I heard it from the staff.” She shrugged at my parents and picked up a glass.

“I did have an altercation the other evening, but it was taken care of.” I glanced at my father.

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Mom put a hand to her chest.

“Don’t overreact.” Dad patted her hand. “Look at her. She’s fine.”

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