Page 28 of Don't Lie To Me

His sidekick’s bottom lip trembles, and I know I have her shaking in her boots. But his glare intensifies.

“Sloane,” Romeo mutters, his hand grabbing my wrist as he pulls me back toward him in warning.

“What my colleague means to say is have a nice day, detectives, thanks for stopping by,” Romeo talks for me.

Reef takes one last look between the two of us then walks out the front door with his associate closely behind him.

Romeo spins me to face him, his fingers still digging into my arm. “What the fuck was that, Sloane?”

“That asshole was in here chatting me up the other night.”

“You’re so pissed because he tried to play you, you’re trying to risk our business?”

“This is my business, not yours. And I have been just fine dealing with things my way for a very fucking long time. I don’t need you coming in here and telling me how I should run things or deal with the cops.”

He breaks into an over-the-top smile. “That is exactly what I’m here to do.” He looks at Sally and Onyx. “Everything changes today,” he announces to the room, his voice booming off the walls in its empty state.

My blood boils, from his barbaric hold on me and from his tone. Fuck him for thinking he’s going to come in here and change things. He has another thing coming if he thinks I will just lie down and take it.

Chapter 11

Romeoreleasesmyhand,his eyes narrowing in on me. “Think it’s time you show me your office.”

I glare back at him as if he has to be kidding me, but what other choice do I have. According to Jagger, he owns a bigger percentage of this place than I do.

I meet my manager’s eyes, and she looks back at me, worried. “Sally, can you get started for the day? I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

She nods tentatively, and I know I’m going to have a lot of explaining to do when I get back.

I don’t give him another second of my attention, instead striding across the room, expecting him to follow along with me.

He falls into step beside me. I can feel his smug-as-shit smirk from here, but I’m not looking his way. I can’t give him the satisfaction.

I swipe us through to the back hallway, feeling completely out of control. Letting him into my personal space is the last thing I want to do, but I know this conversation can’t be had in the common spaces where staff can hear. I inhale deeply as I swipe us in, looking back toward Onyx, wondering if I should let him in for this meeting as well. If things go south, I might need him. But it’s also another complication I’m not sure I can deal with. I know he’s insanely jealous of Romeo.

On a whim, I give him a nod, and he enters the room silently, moving in behind me protectively. I need him right now.

“Please take a seat.” I smile tightly at Romeo.

He ignores my suggestion and remains standing, walking around my office with his hands in his pockets. “You know, Sloane, this doesn’t have to be difficult. We both proved the other night we can get along very well.”

Onyx is standing so close to me I feel him stiffen.

“I can’t see how it’s going to be simple for you. You think you have some right to take what I have worked on for years, this amazing empire I have built from the pile of rubble Syd left it in. You think you’re going to take it from right under me. How fucking dare you. You know what this business means to me.” Anger radiates through my body. I want to lash out at him, I want to fucking hurt him the way he’s hurting me right now. It actually would be less painful if he tore my beating heart out of my chest while I was still alive. Having to run this club alongside of him will kill me.

“It’s not personal, doll face. It’s business. Don’t look at me like I’m the asshole trying to destroy your life. More a partner in crime.” His lips twist up cheekily, and I know he doesn’t get it. How could he, he hasn’t lived this life. He didn’t grow up here, he’s not a female in a male-dominated world. He doesn’t understand the fight.

I move across the room, closing the gap between us, getting up in his face. “You don’t know the first thing about running a club like this,” I spit back at him, bitterness dripping off my every word. The women who work here depend on me to take care of them, I can’t let them down. “This isn’t just about me. I have over fifty staff who work here because they know they will return home to their families at the end of the night. They have placed their trust in me, their lives in myhands. This isn’t just a way of making money.” My body shakes all over I’m so fuming mad.

He watches me, his face an uncaring mask. His kindness the other night was all a lie. He didn’t really care about me. Without warning, his hands land on my shoulders and he stares right back into my eyes.

I hear Onyx move across the room as well. “Take your hands off her.”

Something washes over Romeo, and I feel him suck in a breath. “Your staff will continue to be safe. I don’t know what kind of monster you think I am. Now they will just have two people looking out for their best interests,” he says more softly, like he’s trying to appeal to my nurturing side. But I don’t trust him.

Onyx moves into view, his eyes dark and scary as fuck. I see the anger radiating off him. “Get your hands off her,” he says again.

Romeo raises a brow toward him but moves his hands back to his pockets, taking a step away from me. He moves across the room to my wall of photographs. He studies them, lingering longer on one in particular, my mother. “Who are these?”

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