Page 45 of Outplayed

Chapter Twelve

Travis

Ireally should have expected the visit. Still, the day after I went into Violet’s office, I walked into my kitchen from my office, not expecting to see Talon sitting calmly at the dinner table. I stopped for a second, then casually continued to the fridge.

“Can I get you anything to drink?” I asked, taking out a beer for myself. He didn’t answer, so I closed the fridge door. Turning, I leaned against the bench. “Are my men still alive?”

“The brothers are out there.” He shrugged. “They could be.”

My jaw clenched. It was fucking hard to find good men to work for me. Obviously I needed some skilled ninjas to deal with people coming into my house uninvited.

“What are you after, Talon?”

He stood, walked around the table and headed my way. I refused to move, to be intimidated. He stopped just before me, his eyes as hard as steel. “Warden called.”

Fuck.

“I told you to stay the fuck away from my sister.”

“She’s been a big part of my life, and if I have my way, she will be again.”

A muscle ticked his forehead. “From what I get, she don’t want anythin’ to do with you.”

Straightening, I put my beer down on the counter behind me. “She’s angry, upset, and hurt. I fucked up, I know I did, but I will prove to her we’re meant for each other.”

His face contorted into a fierce scowl. “She’s upset? Hurt?” he demanded on a snarl. “What the fuck you do to her?”

“It’s between Violet and me,” I told him.

“Wrong.” I didn’t move despite knowing what was coming. When his fist connected to my face, I rocked to the side and straightened again. He got close. “You fuckin’ go near her, you’ll have more than just my fuckin’ fist in your face.”

“Lies,” I hissed. “Or you would have killed me by now. You fear your sister disowning you if you harm me.” I snatched my beer up and took a drink. Stepping away from Talon, I gave him my back, knowing I was right. He wouldn’t kill me because he loved his sister, and he knew I loved her. “You’ve had your hit, Talon. The only reason I allowed it was because I felt I deserved it for hurting her. You can fucking leave now.”

The front door opened, and little footsteps sounded on the hardwood floor. “Daddy!” Izzy called. She came running around the corner and skidded to a stop. “What happened to your face?”

Smiling, I forced a laugh. “Silly me tripped over and hit it.”

She giggled. “Daddy, you have to be more careful. Who are all the big men outside, Daddy?”

Talon must have stepped out from behind me as Izzy’s eyes widened. “Who’re you?”

“They’re my men, and I’m Talon Marcus.”

Her head tilted to the side. “Miss Violet’s last name is Marcus.”

Link walked around the corner, gun in his hand. I shook my head at him, and he quickly put it away.

“She’s my sister.”

Izzy beamed. “Really? Cool, I love Miss Violet. She let me do her hair and brought me a fairy light for my room. But she’s been too busy with work to come back yet. Next time I wanna watch Beauty and the Beast with her.”

Talon nodded. “I’m sure she’ll love that.”

Izzy clapped. Link stepped closer to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “What do you need to do when you get home, sweetheart?”

She sighed and rolled her eyes up to look at Link. “Take my things to my room and unpack them.”

“That’s right. Come on. I’ll help.”

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