Page 100 of Claim

“Okay, baby. I’ll only be here. I’ll be over in a few minutes.”

She presses her lips to my cheek, I wish my mask was off so I could feel her lips properly.

As she saunters off to the bar, I grind my teeth and watch the crowd’s eyes follow my wife’s ass around the room.

“You good, Mikhail?” Frankie’s deep Italian voice drags me out of my burning inferno.

“Fine,” I huff, clenching my fists by my side.

“So what do you think of the plans for the docks I sent you?”

“I’ll send Niki and Jax down to you to scope it out. I can’t turn down more weapons can I?”

I don’t take my eyes off Ana as she approaches the bar. Lara wraps her arms around her and they’re chatting while Alexei orders up the drinks dramatically.

“You really like that girl, don’t you?” Frankie says.

“Love.” I correct him.

He chuckles. “When I heard you were married I assumed it was for a deal, not love.”

I rub my jaw. “It’s complicated.”

“True love always seems to be,” Zara chimes in. I’m still not sure how I feel about her being the NYC commissioner now. But, she’s Frankie’s wife, it works for business too.

Alexei whispers something to Lara and she turns to face him while Ana rests her elbow on the bar as her drink is slid across to her.

A tall guy with blond curly hair nudges closer to her.

“He one of yours?” I nod in the direction of the guy.

“No. Nothing to do with us,” Frankie replies.

The unknown man leans back and looks down at Ana’s ass.

I can feel the rage boil within me.

I step forward just as his hand snakes around her back, right above her ass.

She jumps away from his touch and bashes into Lara. Before Alexei can intervene, I grab my blade from my inside pocket and flip it open.

I grab him by the back of the neck and slam his head into the bar. Turning him to face me, my fingers grip his throat. His green eyes fill with fear, but that only fuels me further.

“Did my wife give you consent to touch her?” I spit out.

He shakes his head, beads of sweat pooling on his forehead.

Alexei cackles behind me. Nikolai will no doubt be there when I turn around.

“Well? Asshole?”

“N-no. I didn’t realize she was your wife.”

I nod slowly, pulling him upright. He’s a few inches shorter than me and nowhere near my build.

“Oh, so if you knew she was my wife, you wouldn’t have touched her?”

“Never. I’m sorry.”

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