Page 152 of Grumpy Billionaire Bad Boy

"Cool." Seven lowers his elbows onto the island in Archer's kitchen and taps his tattooed finger to his chin. "Something small, probably. Are you trying to conceal it?"

"Yes."

"Let me see your hand." He reaches out, grabbing hold of my palm and examining it. "Yeah, you're going to need a .380. No way you could handle much more than that on a whim. I'd opt for a revolver, too, so you don't have to worry about the slide getting stuck on anything. But…if you want a hammerless one,I'd opt for a 38 Special. Pretty sure Smith & Wesson has one. When do you need it by?" Seven looks up at me, running his tongue over his sharpened canine tooth.

"When can you get it?"

Seven shrugs. "Today, probably."

"Archer can't know about it."

"I figured, otherwise you'd be asking him." Seven leans back, his arms across his chest and tugging his dark faded t-shirt up, revealing even more tattoos on his stomach.

"Why would you help me? I ask him.

"You caught me on a good day."

"Thank you," I tell him, truly meaning it. I'm not convinced I'm going to go through with it, but if I do, I need a weapon that is deadlier than the switchblade Archer gave me.

"Put in a good word for me," Seven says. "With Grace."

"She's never going to go out with you." I shouldn't be saying this to him right now but he has to know the truth.

"Doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying." Seven grins at me. "I'm a rather persistent man."

"Seems like everyone in your family is."

"It's not often we don't get something we want. When you grow up with nothing, you end up getting greedy. What about you, firecracker? Did you grow up with nothing?"

"Actually, the exact opposite. My father was wealthy, but he was a sick bastard."

"Ah, right. The dead dad who killed your mom."

"Yeah."

"Sounds like you had nothing, too, then."

I guess I hadn't thought about it that way until Seven pointed it out. I may have had access to money, but I never knew family, not really. I never have, and with the way my life is going, I never will. Ricardo made damn sure of that. I was born alone, and I will die alone, especially if I do nothing to stop the pattern ofbeing owned by a man. If it's not Ricardo, it's the next sad sack of shit who thinks he has a claim over me. I'd rather die than live another day under the thumb of a man.

"Who was he?" Seven asks. "Your dad."

I meet his gaze, not sure which eye to focus on, the blue one or the green one. "Ricardo Gardella."

"You're fucking with me."

I shake my head. "I wish I was."

"Damn, that sucks. I thought I had it bad. That man was a sick fuck."

"You knew him?"

"He's tried to merge with us over the years, wanting to get a foothold on the East Coast. We never did. August would have never allowed it. Especially after Ricardo killed Archer's girl. August is the moral compass of us all." Seven rolls his eyes. "Uptight prick, if you ask me, but no one did. He's the decision maker, having the final say in anything we do as a whole. But hey, he's usually right, so whatever."

It's interesting to hear Seven's perception of his brothers since I've already heard some from both Archer and Leo. Grace has had her input, but she only knows them from the outside.

"What about Ivy?" I ask him.

"Uh, my annoying sister." Seven goes to the pantry where the alcohol is, taking a look and closing the doors after grabbing a bag of chips instead. "She keeps us all in line, me more than them. She's August's right-hand woman and the face of our empire." Seven pops the bag open and shoves a few chips in his mouth, pausing and holding it out to me.

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