Page 74 of Bullet

Even though I hadn’t wanted my father to find out about Ford and me, I was happy that it had brought us closer together.

I decided to take him up on his offer for the time being, until the issue with Matteo was resolved. I only felt safe with Ford and felt like I couldn’t rely on my family to protect me anymore after my dad had labeled me a traitor. Not to mention I didn’t want to put Nina in danger by being there.

I still planned to get my own apartment soon, but it made sense to stay with Ford with the cartel still lurking around. He was the only one capable of protecting me.

After my small breakdown, Ford made love to me and I’d fallen asleep in his arms. After our night at Spirit Mountain, there was so much more emotion involved when we had sex, and our connection deepened each time.

We never talked about our feelings, though. We avoided it, wanting to pretend things weren’t serious between us when it was obvious they were. We were both seriously fucked up, but somehow, we still worked.

When Ford left to go to the shop, I went over to Nina’s to get my things and finish planning the bachelorette party since it was only a couple of weekends away.

Once we started calling and making reservations, I wondered how we were going to pay for everything. “Nina, how are we going to get the money for all this?”

A mischievous smirk curved her lips. “Don’t you worry about that. I’ll take care of it.”

I was a little taken aback. We worked the same job, so I knew the kind of money she made. I crossed my arms over my chest, arching a brow. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Rolling her eyes, she sighed. “I’m not going to get out of this, am I?”

I chuckled, thinking back to the time the girls had forced me to tell them about Ford. “No. Now spill.”

Nina bit down on her bottom lip nervously. “I kinda have a sugar daddy.”

“What?” I exclaimed, not sure I just heard what I thought I heard.

She laughed. “Okay, that sounded bad. It’s not like that.”

“Explain,” I urged, hoping my friend wasn’t whoring herself out for money.

“Well, after your caveman biker forced you to leave the poker game that night, I hit it off with one of the city councilmen. We’d been flirting the whole night, and once the game ended, he made a point to find me.”

I couldn’t believe she hadn’t told me. “And?”

“And he wanted to see me again. We’ve gone out a few times since, and I really like him, Dee.”

I smiled. “But?”

“But he’s forty-three. And I’m just scared that …” she trailed off, not finishing her sentence.

“Scared of what, Nina?”

Her eyes met mine, and I’d never seen her look so unsure. “That I’m not good enough.”

I frowned. “What the hell are you talking about? Has this guy been putting you down or telling you shit?”

“No. No, it’s not like that.” She shook her head, then sighed dreamily. “He’s amazing. He wants to take things further, but I’m scared. I mean he’s an important man, and I’m just a casino waitress. He lives in a mansion on the river, and I live in this shit apartment.”

I reached out my hand and placed it over hers. “Nina, you’re amazing, too. Titles and money aren’t the only things that determine a person’s worth. He’s lucky to have someone like you. You’re kind, passionate, and beautiful. You help others even though you don’t have much, and you speak your mind.”

She nodded, sitting up straighter. “Yeah, you’re right. I just don’t want to mess this up, you know? He’s a really great man. And he’s amazing in bed.”

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s not to let fear hold you back from what you want. You’ll end up regretting it for the rest of your life.”

Nina wrapped me in a hug. “Thank you. I really needed to hear all this.”

When I pulled back, I smiled. “Anytime. Now, you still didn’t explain the whole sugar daddy thing.”

She laughed. “Well, he added me as an authorized user on his black card. And it has no limit.”

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