Page 64 of Queen Of Dark Money

“Ey, asshole, wake up,”Iyelled in his ear, nudging the side of his prone form with my foot. “Getyour lazy ass off my couch.Youhave some shit to answer for, andIam not feeling like a patient man today.”

Hegrowled, mumbling a protest under his breath as he rolled into a sitting position.Hedidn’t reek of alcohol, which was good, butIdidn’t care if he was still drunk from the night before or entirely sober.Hehad something to answer for.

“Getthe fuck up, you freeloader!”

Iyanked his ass off the couch, pleased when he sat upright immediately after his head connected with the carpet.Rafesputtered and swore, glancing around like a rabid dog in search of the beast who’d dare to interrupt his sleep.

Hiseyes met mine, and he sagged in relief. “Oh, it’s you.”Hepeeked around again, looking for something–or someone. “Justyou?”

Inodded slowly, debating on what to say to him.MaybeifIgave him enough rope, he’d hang himself with it. “Wereyou expecting someone else?”

Hestudied my face for a long moment, searching for the answers to questions he was afraid to ask.Smart.

“Where’sthe girl?” he finally had the balls to ask, rubbing the side of his hip. “Didshe find you last night?”

“Youknow damn well she did.”Icould still recall the sound of his feet kicking the door while she curled up against me on the couch. “You’relucky you didn’t dent my safety door, or you’d be whipping out the cash to replace it.”

Hishand carded through a messy mop of hair atop his head, and he shook it out, undoing all the work he’d just put into taming it. “River,Ican explain–”

“I’msure you fucking can, but see, the thing is,Rafe,Idon’t wanna hear it.”Ikicked him in the ass and yanked him off the floor by his bicep, ignoring the pained protests spilling from hismouth. “Iwant you out of my club.You’dbest not come back around again untilI’vehad time to cool off, you get me?”Ishoved him at the door to the apartment, growling under my breath.Ididn’t know what possessed me, butIfelt a certain way about his actions toward theSinclairgirl.Shedidn’t deserve to be manhandled and forced into anything she didn’t want to do.Andhere was my part-time lover and best friend, putting his hands where they weren’t wanted last night.

Ona girl we’d been expressly told to keep our hands off of.

“Oh, come on,River, you know damn well she wanted it–you saw the way she looked at us when we–”

“Get.”Ikicked the door against the wall. “Thefuck.”Itook another step forward, forcing him out of my apartment and into the stairwell. “Out.”Ishoved him one more time, careful not to send him careening down the stairs, but close enough that he knewIwas serious. “Now.”

“Okay, okay,I’mfucking going,” he grumbled, throwing his hands in the air. “Chillthe fuck out, man.”

“Oh, and when you come back,”Icalled after him, “you’d better have an apology ready for her.”Myeyes shot toSevenat the end of the hall, andIjerked my head in the direction of the pain in the ass at the bottom of the stairs. “Makesure he finds his way out,Seven.”

Myguard nodded and marched afterRafe, taking his orders seriously.ToobadRafecouldn’t do the same.

Hewould be trouble.I’dbetter warn theKings.

Or.

Or,Icould ignore it and deal with it on my own.

Hewasn’t going to bring the whole house of cards down on us with his roaming hands.Butif theKingsthought he was a liability, they might do something drastic.AndIcouldn’t fathom his actions warranting death.Itwasn’t like he’d raped her.

Ifhe had, they wouldn’t have to worry about him—I’dkill him myself.

Woah.

Therage burned through me, hot and fast, like some sort of foreign entityIhadn’t planned to let invade my body.Butthere it was.Iwas enraged at her mistreatment at the hands of a manItrusted with her safety.

Aman whose cockI’dsucked.

Theshame washed away the rage in the blink of an eye, and suddenly,Ididn’t feel so good about any of this anymore.

Ihad to get ahold ofKingso he could straighten this all out.Andfast.Becausethe only one here suffering needlessly was the innocent girl currently cosplaying as a fucking stripper in my office, cloaked in nothing more than a bar shirt and a blanket, whose only request had been for us to contact her father so she could go home.

Moneylaundering was one thing.Kidnapping, extortion, and hostage situations?

Thatwas pushing it.

Imight be a nasty dude, butIwasn’t an animal.

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