Page 41 of Twisted Games of Revenge

I pout for her, taking two mugs from the top shelf and popping a pod in the new coffee machine I purchased. “I’m sorry, Sloane, that sucks.” I get to work frothing the milk for mine. “You’re not alone though, you have me, the girls at the club, and Onyx.” I offer a half smile, knowing it’s not much of a consolation prize, but it’s the best I have. I guess I understand now why she spends her whole life at that club.

“Onyx. Pfft. Don’t even get me started on him. Another of my brothers’ overprotective implements to keep me safe. And a constant cock blocker. At this rate I’m going to die a virgin.” She whispers the last part, her eyes coming to mine, wide with embarrassment. Maybe even surprising herself that she just admitted that little nugget to me.

“Wait, what did you just say?” I ask, sure I must have misheard her. She’s like the most attractive girl I have ever met, so confident and with her shit together. Guys must fall at her feet.

“I’m not repeating myself,” she mutters, turning away from me and looking back into my apartment.

I take hold of her upper arm and spin her back to look at me. “Sloane Stryker, how can you own the biggest sex club in town and not have actually participated in the act yourself?”

She covers her face. “I know. And if you ever tell a soul I will have to kill you. That’s a promise, Viv.”

I laugh nervously, sure she would. “Okay, my lips are sealed. But girl, we need to get you some action. Like seriously, you’re missing out.”

“You think I don’t know that?” She sighs heavily. “Looks like you’re just going to have to have all the fun for the both of us.”

I smirk back at her, remembering last night. It certainly was fun. “Is there reason to believe you could be in danger?” I ask, wondering why she needs a bodyguard following her around.

“Other than the threat Enzo now poses, it was just one of the precautions my brothers took when I became the owner of theclub. Women don’t normally do all that well running the kind of business I do. Especially in this town.”

I nod, agreeing with her. And I’m grateful she has Onyx looking after her. He certainly makes me feel safer when he’s around.

She tosses her hair over her shoulder. “Anyway, enough about me. What’s going on, were you looking for me?”

I hand her a steamy mug of coffee, black just the way she likes it, and take a sip of my own. “I wanted to check on you after yesterday,” I say, my voice quieter.

“Thank you.” She collects her mug, slotting into the stool at the breakfast bar. “I’m fine, just had a moment, but I’m back on track now.” She forces a smile.

“Okay,” I say, looking her over, wondering if she really is okay. Seeing the dead body of your best friend wouldn’t be easy to just shake off. “If you’re looking for a distraction, I could use a hand with something.”

“Please.”

“If I wanted to find someone who had disappeared in the last couple of weeks, where would I start looking?” I ask her.

“Geovani?” She raises her brow in question.

“Yeah, how did you know?”

“Jagger mentioned he hadn’t seen him in a while. He normally runs a training session with some of the Iron Strykers’ crew, and he just didn’t show up at his gym. The place was pitch-black and locked up tight.”

Worry fills me. I had thought maybe I was overreacting, but now I really do think he could be in trouble. “Shit. Where the fuck would he be? I don’t want to go to his apartment because my brother and Dani are back there, but maybe I can send one of the boys over to have a look,” I say thinking out loud. “Or he could be at the gym, hiding out there.”

“He could be?” she agrees, taking a sip from her mug.

“Have you ever thought maybe Geovani doesn’t want to be found? Maybe he’s disappeared for a reason.” Alessandro stands in the doorway, his hair all messed up from sleeping, and the only thing on him is a pair of cotton boxer shorts that he slept in. He looks edible, and I have to stop myself from drooling.

“What, like I did? You assholes still came looking for me,” I snip, knowing he might be right, but what if he’s not and Geovani needs me? And even more selfishly, I need to know he’s okay.

Sloane watches him with caution as he approaches me, kissing me on the lips before taking the coffee right out of my hand and sipping from my mug, like I made it for him.

“What are you doing here so early, Sloane?” he asks with a hint of jealousy to his voice. “Was Vivian just dying to tell you the happy news?”

She looks me over with curiosity then she spots it, the fucking great diamond on my ring finger. She spits her mouthful of coffee out all over my kitchen counter. “Oh, fuck off, already?”

I glare back at Alessandro. “See, I told you it was too soon.”

He kisses my cheek then wraps his arms around me. “Trust me, my parents will only ever be happy about this, they won’t question it. They have been trying to marry me off for years.”

“If you say so,” I mutter, rolling my eyes just for Sloane.

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