Page 45 of Savage Bosses

Soon the laughter dies down, and we’re silent. Marcus’ gaze never leaves my face. It has me feeling a bit uncomfortable.

“Is something on my face?” I ask wiping at my cheeks.

“No, I’m just caught off guard on how beautiful you are.”

Clearing my throat, I sit up straighter in my seat. “We agreed to get closure and I think it’s time for that.”

He shakes his head. “Was what we had that bad?”

“Let’s be honest, you changed once you left the league. I knew it would take an adjustment for you, but you started to treat me like the enemy.”

“I envisioned giving you the world, Tiff,” he shouts. “And suddenly all of that was taken from me. How do you think I was supposed to feel.”

“I never asked you for the world. All I ever wanted was you. I would’ve loved you as a basketball player or a mechanic.”

He’s silent for a moment. My words seem to play through his head as his eyes redden.

“I know that now,” he finally says. “You were the only person in my life that remained true to me when I left the NBA. And I’m so sorry for not seeing it sooner.” He reaches across the table and grabs my hands in his. “Tiffany, I….”

He’s interrupted when Jake rushes up to our table. I pull my hands out of Marcus’ quickly. I didn’t want my bodyguard to get the wrong idea.

“Ms. Best, we have to go,” he says placing bills down on the table to pay our tab.

“Jake, what’s wrong?” The panic in his voice has me alarmed.

“It’s Mr. Basille, he’s been shot.”

My entire world spins and I feel lightheaded. Please God, no.

CHAPTER 17

Emotional

Tiffany

R

acing through the hospital with Marcus and Jake on my heels, my heart has yet to slow. The thought of the man I love being hurt or worse, dead, has me on the verge of having a nervous breakdown.

I stop at the nurse’s station.

“I need the room number for Niccolo Basille?” I ask the woman behind the desk.

“Are you a relative?” she asks, looking me up and down.

“I’m his fiancée,” I say through gritted teeth. I know she is only following protocol, but anything that delays me from finding Nico pisses me off.

She taps away on her computer in slow motion, causing my patience to slowly ebb further away. The phone rings beside her, and she stops what she’s doing to answer it.

“For fucks sake,” I shout.

“Tiff, calm down,” Marcus says coming up behind me placing a hand on my shoulder. I pull away from him. Before I could reply, Roc—Nico’s personal bodyguard—calls my name.

“Ms. Best, he’s in here.”

“Thank goodness,” I say running toward him. “What happened?”

“Saint. Apparently, he’s figured out Niccolo has been keeping you protected. I guess he attempted to eliminate the problem.” He holds the door open for me. I rush inside. Not knowing what to expect. As soon as I see Nico sitting up in the bed with a bandage above his eye, and an Ace bandage around his left wrist, I burst into tears.

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