Page 33 of Trouble

I nodded my head, but dared not reach up and touch the place where he hit me even though it pulled tight when I moved my head. I would not show the asshole that he had hurt me. His deep brown eyes should have held so much warmth, and insteadthey made my insides feel frozen as he glared at me. “You work in a whorehouse.”

“I am part owner of a strip club.”

“Part owner,” he chuckled. “I already know you dance here.”

“Yes, when we need someone to fill in, I have been known to dance. That doesn’t take from the fact that I am part owner, not just a dancer and I was a manager here before that.” I was proud of my work and wouldn’t allow the psycho to diminish it with his judgement, as if he was a pillar of society.

“Since you have no problem selling yourself to men, you shouldn’t object to the plans I have for you.”

“I have a life that doesn’t include you, so I do object.” His hand cracked out against my cheek again.

“Stop taunting me. You will marry Giovani Martinelli’s eldest son in six weeks. A marriage between our families is the only way I could build an unbreakable bond, since we’re not exactly pure Italian.”

I wasn’t aware that I had any Italian ancestry at all. Then again, I hadn’t wanted to know more about my sperm donor than necessary to bring him down. I supposed, if I looked at Natalie and Whitney with a discerning eye, I could see where the olive skin tone and certain features might lean toward that heritage, but then I would have to admit that the cunt was my cousin, so I refused to get introspective over that shit.

“I don’t care how many times you hit me, a marriage between me and any mafia goon is out of the question.”

“Because you’re little piece of shit biker boyfriend is so much better?” He asked and laughed as he did so. “Don’t worry about him. Their entire club will be brought to its knees later today. As will the bitches who really own this place.” He shook his head, as if I had been lying about my piece of the Paramour pie.

“And how do you presume to manage that feat?”

“That’s not something you need to be made aware of. Now, start the Jeep and put it in drive. If you try anything, I will blow your brains all over the window and use Natalie in the wedding. I’d rather not use Will’s daughter because it gives him more leverage than it does me, but who knows, it’s possible she’s mine and not my brother’s anyway.”

My jaw dropped. Having that bitch as a cousin was one leaf too close on the family tree, I’d be damned if anyone ever proved that she was my half sister. My father rolled his eyes at me. “I already know there’s bad blood between the two of you. It’s probably because you’re prettier than her. Then you add in the fact that you’re still in your 20s while she already tipped over to her 30s and she feels threatened by you.”

“Just curious, but when exactly did you lose your mind? I might need to know for future reference.” He reached forward to smack me again at the same time my boyfriend yanked him out of my Jeep headfirst.

“Thought you could touch my woman and get away with it?” Trouble asked Warren whose eyes were wide with fright. I guess he did some feelings hiding under the suit and hair grease after all. “We have some things to discuss with you, and don’t worry about your little plan. You do realize this is the Information Age and we were watching every move your men made, right?”

I watched as Trouble passed Warren off to Quickshot who nodded at me as my man got into the Jeep. “He fucking touched you!” Trouble roared while in contrast, his hand gently reached out and caressed the side of my face that still stung from Warren’s slaps.

“I told you that I would be fine. A couple slaps are nothing. Imagine if we didn’t have this planned out. That asshole planned to use me as the tie that bound him to the fucking mafia!”

“Sorry, sweetness. I know that was all tough to hear, especially…”

“Do not say that name. Do not ever bring her, or any possible relations up, because if you do it might just be the straw that breaks what we have. You were with her before. I can’t think of…” I shook my head. I knew they had been together sexually before we ever got together and it was one thing when she was just some bitch from the same town as me. It was another altogether to know that there was a familial link between the two of us. I shivered with revulsion as the brief thought of my man fucking my sister stole into my thoughts.

“DO NOT GO THERE!” Trouble demanded. “You are mine. She never was. Had I ever known there was a connection between the two of you, I wouldn’t have gone there.”

“Yes, you would have because you were with her before I ever grew into myself and came of legal age.”

Trouble growled low as he turned my face back so we were looking at one another. “I have never loved another woman - beyond my own mother - and never in a romantic way, Trin. Not until you. You are the only person from my past that matters. Do you understand that? Do not let that fucker or any of his family into your head. You are mine. My woman, my old lady, and the future mother of my children. No one else matters.”

“No one else matters,” I repeated as the horrible thoughts ebbed away. “Sorry, it was too much to hear.”

“I know. We’ll get through this and land on the other side of things just fine, sweetness. Come here!” Trouble didn’t bother to wait for me to go to him, instead he pulled me into his lap and cradled my face with gentle fingers. “Let’s get you home and put some ice on this and then I’m going to show you just how much I fucking love you.”

“Do not go any further with those details while her comms are hot,” I heard in my ear and started to laugh.

“Find something better to do with your time than eavesdrop, Hollywood!” I called out before I pulled the tiny little devicefrom my ear and then reached underneath my sweater to where the microphone was hidden in my bra. I pulled that out and clicked the tiny button on the side to turn it off.

“Can you drive me home?” Trouble nodded and then got out of the Jeep, with me still wrapped around him, and gently placed me back on the passenger seat. He reached around and buckled me up then planted a sweet kiss on the tip of my nose before he walked around and got in the driver’s side and adjusted everything for his height.

“I love you, sweetness. Should have shouted it from the ends of the Earth by now, but I need you to know that if you ever walk, you’re taking my heart with you, whether you want it or not.”

There was no way I could walk away from him after that. Not one single chance in hell.

CHAPTER 22

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