Page 20 of Don't Lie To Me

“Sloane, you hit your head with force.” The look in his eyes tells me it’s more than that. He’s really worried about me. This isn’t the first time I have passed out lately. It happened last week as well.

“I already called him,” I hear Jagger tell Onyx as he approaches us.

Fucking great, just what I need today. Ricky asking way too many questions.

Cruz places an icy cold water on the table in front of me and slides in beside me. “Drink it,” he demands.

He’s such a bossy shit. “Just because you were born a couple of minutes before me doesn’t make you my boss,” I snip as I take the water and drink it down.

“She’s fine,” he tells Jagger. “Bitchy as ever.” He smirks at me playfully, trying to get me to smile back. “Happy birthday, little sis.”

“Happy birthday.” I offer a half smile, as much as I can muster. “Cruz, don’t bullshit me. What the hell is going on with Romeo owning part of my business?”

His head drops, and I know it’s true. Romeo is about to take over a chunk of my business.

“How can this happen?” I whisper, my head going into overdrive with all the possibilities.

His arm comes around my shoulder and he pulls me into him. “You need to talk to him about it.”

I glance back at him. “I want to talk to you about it.”

“I don’t know the details, Sis. Jagger knows more, but he won’t say anything until you’ve had it out with Romeo. If it were up to me, he wouldn’t be allowed anywhere near you, but this shit goes back generations. Jagger says I can’t fix it with my fists.”

Sickness fills me, and I stare back at my brother, feeling helpless and out of control. “If Romeo fucking Moretti thinks he can march in here and take over my club, he has another thing coming.” Bitterness drips off my every word I’m so damn angry.

“That’s the attitude,” Cruz agrees with me, hugging me a little tighter.

But he doesn’t know the half of this situation. Romeo tricked me, used his charm to find out my secrets then get me into bed. I’m an idiot. I’m supposed to be smarter than this. I went nearly twenty-five years without letting a man corrupt me. One moment of weakness andnow what. Oh God, I can’t even think about it. Dizziness consumes me as my head begins to spin once more. I grip hold of the table.

“Sloane, you okay?” Cruz takes hold of me, pulling me into his chest. “Hey, you’re okay,” he tells me.

But I’m not. Yesterday I fucked up, and today, staring down the barrel of my bad choices isn’t pretty. How did I let this happen?

“Can someone get her some food or some shit? She’s about to pass out again,” Cruz calls to the rest of them.

While my brothers wait for Ricky to arrive, I slowly snack on the California Crunch wrap they brought me, listening to their hushed conversations while they think I’m not paying attention. But I am. I can hear every damn word they say, and I don’t like any of it.

Romeo has left, but he expects me to have some fucking fancy dinner with him tonight to discuss the details of our joint ownership. Joint ownership! It doesn’t make any sense, how can he be making a claim on the club I built from the shithole it was when Syd died? This club was nothing back then, a seedy brothel and strip club where their women were treated like shit and all the profits went into his drinking habit. I won’t let Romeo take it from me.

“Sloane.” I hear Ricky’s voice and glance up to see him smiling down at me. “You want to go to your office so I can take a look at you?” he asks kindly.

I push off my seat to standing, and Onyx comes to help me. “I can walk on my own,” I snap. He backs off, and I walk with Ricky through to my office, not missing the way they all look at each other as I do.

It’s just Sloane being bitchy again, I’m sure one of my brothers is about to say. But what they don’t get is I have to be like this just to survive alongside them. You’re born a dude and you walk into a room, people pay you respect just because you have a dick and balls. Me, I had to fucking earn my balls through blood and sweat and makingsure every fucker around knew if they messed with me, they would be dead. Yeah, I have a lot of blood on my hands. Maybe even more than my brothers. But this is the life I was born into, and I’m not giving it up because some asshole wants to control me.

When I’m settled on the sofa in my office, Ricky closes the door and comes to sit beside me. “Are you okay if I listen to your heart?” he asks.

“Sure.” I shrug, not caring either way. “My brothers are fussing over nothing. You know how they are.”

He chuckles lightly, and I know he agrees with me. “Better to be safe than sorry.” He pulls out his stethoscope and places it on my chest, listening.

“Oh God, do you know how old you sound when you say shit like that?” I smile at him so he knows I’m teasing, anything to distract me from this awkwardness.

He moves to my back, checking there as well. “I am old. And so are you today. Twenty-five. Happy birthday, sorry we didn’t get to celebrate much with you last night.” I don’t miss the way his brow raises in question as he says the words. I know what he’s asking: what did I get up to with his cousin? I bet Harley told him to ask me, she must be dying to know.

“Thanks. Some birthday, passing out and hitting my head.” I rub the spot that is still sore.

He looks me over, concerned. “Yeah, after I check your blood pressure, I will take a look at that.” He shows me the arm cuff he needs to put on my arm to check my blood pressure, and I nod, agreeing. He slips it on and pumps up the pressure thingy, making a sound I don’t like. An uhmm. What the fuck does that mean?

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