Page 50 of Give Me Perfect Love

This makes me smile enough to show teeth.

Good.He deserves it. I hope he feels like shit now.

“Good to see you. Tell Monnie I said hello.”

“I will. Bye-bye,” she says.

We part ways and I step out onto the street, realizing I have on no coat, have no car, and have no purse.

Fuck me. Claire needs to buy a car already. I cross my arms, trying to warm myself. I could walk to our apartment. It’s only a few blocks, but with this wind chill I’d be a slab of ice by the time I got there.

So, I pull up my Uber app and request one, then step back inside while I wait. Today’s going to be a long day.

Chapter Fifteen

Bryce

“Fuck!” I slam the door shut behind me, pacing back and forth in the apartment. Why the hell does she have to ask so many questions? Why does she need to know all the details about how I make my money?

I stop pacing and rest my elbows on the countertop, scrubbing over my head in frustration, feeling a headache wrap around my skull and squeezing.

A few months after I started up the illegal gambling, I got jumped in the alley beside Red. Some punks who’d been there playing poker decided they wanted a piece of what I was making. They wanted me to actually give them a cut. Like I was just going to hand over my fucking money to some low-life motherfuckers.

But that wasn’t the only time I had that problem, so I hired Ben. I could handle one guy, or two even, but five-on-one wasn’t a fair fucking fight. I got smarter about the business and hired more bodyguards, placing them throughout the casino.

I then found Simon, a retired gangster. He looks like a teddy bear who wears too much gold, but he’s no one to play with.

The man has done some evil shit in his day and he’s loyal as they come. I trust him and Ben with my life. Without the two, I wouldn’t be able to run that place. They get paid well, and both enjoy what they do. They protect my money and me, and they know people who can make you disappear.

Danny O’Brien comes to mind. He and his crew passed through here a few months back and spent some big money in the basement. I had a guy who was cheating while playing with them. They took it upon themselves to solve the problem. For a good chunk of cash, they also took care of Cain, Claire’s ex.

Psycho motherfucker was sneaking into the girls’ apartment, stealing Claire’s underwear and doing God knows what else. He dropped a knife in K’s bedroom.

Danny and his boys got rid of him.

I don’t know the details, but something tells me I don’t want to know either.

It’s risky what I do, but there’s a thrill in it. A rush in knowing you’re doing something illegal and getting away with it. Plus, I make a shit load of money. While Red is very successful, it didn’t make me the billionaire that I am.

K still doesn’t know about the house I have in New Amsterdam or the yacht I own in St. Augustine.

But I guess she will in time.

I exhale as the door opens. My heart leaps, hoping that it’s her, and then it falls to see it’s just my aunt.

I’m not sure Lou being able to come in and out is a great idea anymore. I mean, I love the woman, but if K’s going to move in with me, then we need our privacy.

“Jesus, what happened to your face?” Lou asks, shutting the door behind her.

“Hey to you, too.” I stand up straight as she walks in.

“You need ice on that eye.” She drops her bag onto the counter and walks to the fridge, shoving the same bag of peas at me that Kat did. I take it and place it on my face.

“What happened?” she asks.

“Nothing for you to worry about,” I reply.

She eyeballs me before deciding to drop it. “I saw Kat leaving.” And now I know why. She wanted to know other things.

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