Page 87 of Ruthless

Chapter 32

Rebel

Two weeks later I was still no closer to deciding what I should do about Ginger. I knew that if I chose to be with her there would be consequences--for her. I knew what I wanted, without doubt, but she would be safer away from me. She'd come too fucking close to being raped and killed because of the life I led, and that wasn't going to change. I was, and always would be, a nomad, a killer for hire, along with anything else the job called for. It was a profession that made me a ton of money, but also enemies along the way, fuckers who wouldn't hesitate to hurt someone close to me.

I wasn't proud of what I'd done after I’d taken her home that day. I'd practically dumped her off at her apartment, telling her that I would be back, when I had known that I wouldn’t be. A real bastard I was. I had flat out lied to her when I’d told her that I was on a job, and had only answered a few of her texts. Thank fuck a job had come up and turned my lie into truth, but it didn't make me feel any better, knowing that I'd only remained with her after a traumatic incident long enough to clean up. How fucked up was that?

Recalling the liquid hurt in her eyes had gutted me.

Christ, I was going to hell. If I'd had any balls I would have at least explained why I was leaving, but I'd been fucking scared. For her. For me. This whole situation between Ginger and me was a new experience. I'd never wanted to care enough for someone to be put into the position of having to decide whether or not I should give them up. I didn't want to give her up. That was the problem. I was torn.

I loved her.

Enough to let her go? I couldn't decide. That was the fucking problem.

Fuck no I couldn't let her go.

I was fucking screwed, because I knew I was just selfish enough to think that I could have something good in my fucked up life, a woman that I didn't deserve, but was going to take anyway. I wanted a life with Ginger. I wanted to put my baby in her belly, more than once, until I had that family I'd only ever dreamed about. Other men in my position made it work, why couldn't I?

But, God, if I ever lost her . . .

I tossed back my fourth whiskey and slammed the glass down on the table. Even now I had eyes on her, just to make sure that she remained safe. Jace. I snorted, remembering the look on his face when I'd told him about the job I had for him a day after getting back into town. It was easy money for a man like him, considering that Ginger had barely left Della's apartment since her release from the hospital. All he had to do was keep my woman safe, but he wasn't being obvious about it. I didn't want Ginger to be freaked out because someone was watching her.

With Daryl dead, along with most of the Kings and the three remaining Red Devils, it had grown quiet. Thank fuck.

"Another refill, baby?"

I looked up at the chick who'd been hitting on me since I’d walked through the door. I was sitting in After Hours, Tanner's bar, getting wasted. The girls that he employed were eye candy, overly friendly, and not afraid to get down and dirty. I'd already seen one give a lap dance that would have set a normal man's pants on fire. The two had finally disappeared out the back door.

"Well, honey?" She ran her hand along the back of my neck, brushing her fingers against my hair. There was nothing coy about her.

She was beautiful in a 1940's starlet kind of way, with platinum hair that curled around her pale, angelic face, pouty, ruby-red lips, heavy but well-done makeup, and an hour-glass figure that made a man's palms itch to get his hands on. It hadn’t been too long ago that I would have had her in the back alley on her knees, but now her aggressive confidence turned me off. In fact, everything about her turned me off. She looked too perfect.

She wasn't Ginger.

Ginger was perfect.

"Yeah, give me one more," I finally said, thankful when she walked away. I didn't even watch the sway of her ass in that too-tight dress she was wearing.

"Thought I'd find you here, brother."

"What the fuck, brother?" I growled after Jace pulled out a chair and joined me. "You're supposed to be watching my woman."

He held up his hands as if to ward off an attack. "Relax, man, she hasn't left her friend's apartment in five days. Besides, Skipper has been hanging around. No sense in both of us losing sleep."

Vinny had offered to pay for a live-in assistant for Della until she was on her feet again, but at the last minute they'd decided that Ginger was the best person to do that, so instead they had hired another waitress to cover her shifts at the bar, while paying Ginger to take care of Della. It only made sense since the girls were like sisters. "I'm not paying Skipper. He's marking his territory," I grumbled.

"You're not paying me, either. Something like this, I don't charge a brother."

I knew Jace well enough to know when he'd made up his mind about something. His tone, and the determined look on his face, told me that he'd fight me on this. "Thanks."

The starlet waitress returned with my whiskey. An inviting smile spread across her face when she made eye-contact with Jace. There was no denying the open invitation in the bright eyes she pinned on him. Jace wouldn't ignore her. She set the glass down in front of me, keeping her interest on a grinning Jace.

"Anything I can get you, handsome?" Her tongue came out to lick her bottom lip.

His gaze ran up and down her figure, lingering on the tits that were spilling out of her low-cut dress. "Yeah, doll. I'll have you in about an hour. Before that, bring me what he's having."

Shooting Jace a wink, she sashayed off. I shook my head and reached for my drink. "She's been after me all night. You're her second choice." I took a sip.

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