Page 21 of Outlaw

Lifting my chin, I met his glare. “I know who and what you are, Linc. I’m not stupid enough to fight a battle we both know I can’t win.”

His eyes widened slightly. He’d thought I’d set this entire thing into play to get the outcome he was handing me. Did he think I’d truly gone to all that trouble when I had a ring on my finger from another man? Was the fact that a woman would choose aman like Hudson over him that hard for him to believe? What a fucking ego.

No, Linc Shephard, I’m not trying to weasel my way into your life. All I wanted was to get you out of mine, and I’ve failed miserably.

“Who and what am I?” he drawled.

It wasn’t a secret that there was a Mafia that ruled the South. One where wealthy men controlled the hands and actions of those supposedly in charge. They were whispered about and feared. While the majority did not know who they were exactly, they had their guesses. Towns were owned by them. Senators, governors, mayors, judges were put into office by them.

Part of me wanted to blurt out who I was. See the realization hit him. Watch as he recalled the little girl who had worshipped him. The one he’d brought daisies to and placed in her hair, who he’d taught to play Texas Hold’em, the one he’d called Ringlets. But I wouldn’t. That was the past, and we weren’t those people anymore.

I licked my dry lips before replying, “You’re a member of the Southern Mafia.” Also known asthe familyamong their ranks, but I didn’t say that. He’d have more questions if I said too much.

He leaned back in his chair, the expression on his face unreadable. “And you know this how?”

I would have to lie or tell the truth.

I chose to lie.

“You told me.”

His eyes darkened, and he blew out a breath. “Fucking opium,” he sighed, then shook his head, as if disgusted with himself. He reached for his whiskey. “I guess that saves me the trouble of telling you why our daughter will always require protection. With that knowledge, will you be living here with Stevie or choosing to fight me in court?”

As if that were ever an option.

Nine

Linc

What all had I told her that night? Jesus, I’d been more fucked up than I’d realized. Granted, opium mixed with alcohol wasn’t the best combination. There were definitely moments and time that were blacked out for me that night. I remembered seeing her. I’d watched her for over an hour before approaching her. I recalled how I’d been pleasantly surprised that not only was she fucking gorgeous, but she was also funny. She had personality. I’d enjoyed just listening to her talk.

I didn’t have a memory of leaving the club or where we had gone to next. There were images of the chapel and Elvis, but that was mostly a blank spot in my memory. I could see us outside and her walking barefoot along the edge of a fountain while I held her hand and her high heels. Her laughter and the way the lights of the city seemed to illuminate just her. That had been the opium, but still, I’d thought she was a goddess.

The parts I could recall in the best detail was fucking her. We’d ripped off each other’s clothes the instant the door to my suite closed. I picked her up and impaled her with my cock for the first time up against the wall, unable to go any further. Although I could still see her face when she had gotten off and hear her sexy moans, I could not remember taking out a condom at any time. That could have been the moment I’d knocked her up. I wasn’t sure because there was also a memory of taking her in the shower, on the bed, bent over the counter in the kitchen, and on the balcony as she gripped the railing and I took her from behind. I’d had only two condoms.

At some point, I’d apparently told her about the family that night. I was pissed at myself for getting that messed up, but also glad she’d been aware and it wasn’t one more thing I’d had to explain today. She hadn’t seemed to have any questions about it though, which surprised me. It wasn’t like she could google it and find the answers. There was an odd sense of surrender to her expression, in the way she spoke to me, that was causing an odd reaction from me. It wasn’t the way women normally responded with the want and need controlling their every move. She didn’t want me. She’d made that clear with more than just words.

I turned from the window as one of the men still in my office cleared his throat.

Stanz held out the new paperwork to me. “She needs to sign these. It’s the NDA and prenup. Although you’re already legally married, we need these signed so that when the year is over, she isn’t going to fight you for half of your assets or demand alimony. There’s also the custody agreement for the child. We added another clause that covers the things you went over with her about security detail for her and the child, as well as the bank account you will set up in her name and keep funded for her needs while she is living here without a job.”

I took the paperwork and placed it on my desk. I had letBranwen go to be with Stevie already. The longer she was away from her, the more stressed I got about her safety. I trusted Jayda, but the food allergies and choking shit had me on edge. I hadn’t asked if Stevie could swim. We needed to get special locks on the doors and an alarm at the pool in case she ever got away and went out there alone. My mind started reeling at all the things I needed done to make the house safe.

“Are you sure you don’t want to end the marriage now? Waiting a year will cause more issues. It would be best if you didn’t live together while married. That will make the marriage seem real. Legally, that can get dicey if she chooses to fight you for anything when this is over.”

Stanz was only repeating himself. I’d heard this when he said it the first time.

“If you do your job correctly, it won’t. She will sign whatever I give her. Make sure it is clearly stated that the marriage is for convenience only and will terminate one year from tomorrow,” I told him, not liking the way he felt he needed to question me.

“Yes, sir. The changes have all been made, and we will redo the filing when we are back at our office,” Hoyt replied, not allowing his partner to say more.

“I’m not questioning your decision, Mr. Shephard,” Stanz said, his voice cracking, betraying his anxiety. His fear was palpable.

“If we are done here, then I have things that need handled,” I told them.

Both men nodded, taking their bags and heading for the door without another word. I waited until they were gone to pick up my phone and decide on who to call first. The security concerning the pool, making sure Stevie couldn’t get near it while alone outside, seemed the most pressing. But first, I needed to send Jayda to buy things that they needed now. I didn’t want them leaving this house again without me setting up their security detail and assigning a driver for Branwen to usewhen they needed to go somewhere.

Then, there was Luther. I should probably let him know my kid was moving in, along with her mother, who was off-limits to him. I needed to make that clear first, then reiterate it daily—because the man often let his dick rule his actions. More so than most.

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