Page 85 of Saving You Losing Me

It appears he now believes he has the ammunition to take on my club because this was a declaration of war that I’m in no mistake of.

He wants Clara for all the wrong reasons and the fuck he’s getting her.

Ryan winces as Billy applies antiseptic and huffs, “He told me to inform you that unless you release Mrs. Santobello back to him, he will kill one member of your club for every day you make him wait. I am the messenger, and live to deliver it, but the next one won’t be so lucky.”

“Fuck!” Diesel grunts as we all learn what lengths Emilio will go to secure his empire and I’m guessing the guys believe exchanging Clara for the lives of The Dark Angels is an easy one.

Over my dead body.

“Then we have no choice.” I say with an ominous tone.

The guys stare at me with trepidation as I grunt, “Call the priest Razor. Tomorrow is my wedding day.”

Razor shakes his head. “Fuck, Atom. Are you really gonna do this?”

I fix him with a dark glare. “Are you questioning my judgment, Razor?”

The guys shift nervously because I’m known to have a temper that has only sharpened over the years.

“I’m on it.” Razor sighs and shakes his head, knowing I’m a belligerent asshole who never changes his mind, and especially when it concerns the woman upstairs.

We are interrupted when Doctor Monroe arrives and I leave him to patch up Ryan and head to my office with Razor, Diesel, and Billy.

We take our usual seats and Diesel bangs his fist against the wall beside him.

“Just saying, Atom, if you wanna fight, I’m in. Ryan’s a good kid and that fucker has given him a permanent reminder of what the devil does when he’s angry.”

“The devil?” I shake my head. “You are elevating him above his station, Diesel. Emilio D’Angelo is a low life prick who has always followed rather than called the shots. He’s posturing for position and it won’t be difficult to haul his ass out of town, but not before I teach him a valuable lesson.”

The expectant gaze of my men makes me smile because they love this shit and we don’t get enough of it.

“First, I marry Clara and then we celebrate the good news by paying our friend Emilio a visit.”

“I don’t understand why marrying Clara is the answer.”

Razor tries again and I allow his question because I’m aware he is only raising it out of concern for me. He has been there the entire time and watched how she broke me. If I was in his shoes I’d be the same and as best friends go, Razor is the best one a guy could wish for.

“She owns Michael’s businesses, lock stock and smoking barrel. The clubs, the bars, the security company, and the properties. Their rents go into her account along with thetakings and the sales of any assets. Emilio doesn’t have the kind of wealth that it would take to buy her out, so he wants to marry her instead.”

Understanding dawns on the guys’ faces and Razor nods. “So, you marry her and take over the empire. I’m seeing it now.”

The guys almost appear relieved that I’m not turning into a pussy around her now they believe I’ve done it for business purposes.

“When we present the facts to Emilio and flex our muscles, he will be given a choice. Leave town or die. I’m guessing he’ll choose the former.”

“We’ll need back up.” Billy adds thoughtfully.

“We have forty members, including the prospects. I’m guessing a word on the street will turn a few heads our way among Emilio’s men. They won’t want to move towns,just accept who’s now in charge and money talks when they realize the only way they’ll earn money in this town is through Clara.”

“Does she agree to this?” Diesel’s tone is sharp and I’m aware he has a soft spot for her and I shrug.

“Not the entire picture, but she is aware of her choices. Marry me and gain freedom or marry Emilio and suffer the same treatment with a different monster sharpening his claws on her.”

Razor’s smile is thin and I can tell he’s unhappy with the situation out of concern for me and I don’t blame him. I would feel the same, so I yawn loudly.

“It’s near dawn. We have a busy day ahead of us. Grab a couple of hours and meet me here at eight am. I’ll inform my bride of her duties and meet you all back here on my wedding day.”

There are no congratulations as they exit the room because they have born the brunt of Clara’s betrayal for the past ten years. They won’t be exactly thrilled to welcome her into theclub, but they’ll soon get used to it. The big question is, will I, or even more important, what will her ultimate decision be?

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