Page 68 of All's Fair In Love & War

“I think you might be right.” Tatum laughed and leaned into me, her shoulder brushing mine.

“You gonna behave now?” I asked.

“Maybe,” she said, kissing her teeth. “Depends on if you let us keep the night going.”

I checked the time, then looked around at all three of them. They were too lit, looking too good, and too excited to be out for me to shut the night down now.

“Aight,” I said, reaching into my pocket for my phone. “But let’s hit Khalil’s club. It’s more secure, and y’all can wild out without me stressing.”

“I need food,” Riley said immediately.

“Hookah,” Sophia added.

“And a section with actual back support. My ass has been sitting up too straight all night.”

I nodded. “You’ll have bottles ready to pop on the table, too.”

They gave each other a look and agreed in unison, so I stepped away from the table and dialed Khalil.

He picked up on the second ring. “Yeah?”

“I’m sliding through,” I said. “Bringing Tatum, Sophia, and Riley with me.”

He didn’t ask questions. “VIP’s already yours. I’ll let security know.”

“Good,” I said. “Bring Felicity and tell Bats to bring his wife too. We all need a breather before shit picks up again.”

There was a pause on the line.

“I don’t know if bringing Felicity is a good idea,” Khalil said, sounding on edge.

“I didn’t ask if it was a good idea,” I replied. “Bring her.”

Felicity needed to be seen, not just by us, but by everyone. She’d been tucked away too long. That might’ve made sense in the beginning, but not anymore. If she was going to wear our name, then she needed to start walking in it.

She hadn’t exactly made things easy, but Khalil was trying, more than I’d seen him try for anybody. He wouldn’t say it, not out loud, but I knew he wanted this to work.

Bringing her out tonight wasn’t just about appearances. It was about giving them space to breathe. To exist outside of that house, outside of all the pressure. Being around us as family might show her the kind of greatness she was now a part of, and maybe then, she’d stop pushing so hard against it.

And truthfully, I wanted her to get it right, for his sake.

He deserved a wife who made him feel whole, who brought him completeness.

That wife could be Felicity, but she had to prove she could handle it. Not in theory, not behind closed doors, but here. Out in the open. My brother deserved peace.

Khalil let out a breath and replied, “Alright. I’ll bring her.”

The call ended, and I went to inform the ladies that everything had been taken care of, so we could leave. We were headed toward the exit, laughter still buzzing around us like the bass from the speakers. Tatum’s hand was in mine, and the girls were glowing from the kind of night we didn’t get often enough.

Then I saw Dallas Veneto posted at a booth near the back, flanked by two of his men. He tried to pretend as if he hadn’t been watching, but I knew his eyes had been on us the entire night. Most likely on my wife.

I’d seen Dallas as soon as I walked through the door, and I let it ride, only because I wanted the women to enjoy their night without any bullshit. Now that we were leaving, I wasn’t walking out without saying something.

He wasn’t getting a free pass.

I pivoted and made my way toward Dallas, each step deliberate, my gaze locked like crosshairs on his smug ass. He clocked me fast, didn’t even pretend not to see me. Sat there lounging like he was king of the fucking room, adjusting his watch like I wasn’t two seconds from filling him with more holes than Swiss cheese.

When I reached him, one of his men twitched like he wanted to be brave, but Dallas hit him with a look that said,Don’t.

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