Page 25 of Claiming Tessa

“He’s coming in with the last one or two.”

Alastair turned to Calum.“Can you get me a bourbon on the rocks?”He wouldn’t admit it to his brothers, but he did need to mellow out, and a nice drink helped every time.

“Sure.”

The first drink went down smoothly and helped calm his anger a bit as he talked to Stuart and ignored the women trying to vie for his notice and interest.He shook his head and snorted when his brothers did give the women their attention and had girls all over them.

“Craig is going to take these women to the club if you’re okay with them,” Stuart said.

Alastair turned and whistled for Duncan.“I’m going to put you in charge of this.Take them to Speedy’s, get the women who will live in our apartments next to the club moved in, and take the rest back to their place but tell them they have to be at work tomorrow.If they are late, they’re fired.There are no second chances.”

“I got it,” Duncan said.

His brother and a couple of the men rounded up the women and took them out a back door to the vans waiting.

“Are you going to wait for the last of them?”Stuart asked.

Alastair looked at his watch and sat down.“I’ll give them a few minutes.”

He hadn’t finished with his second drink when a side door opened and Ross, one of his guys, walked in, dragging a woman.She was crying and fighting to get away from him.

“Shut up, bitch,” Ross said and shook her.

“What the fuck are you doing?”Stuart yelled.

Alastair held up a hand, set down his drink, and stood to face Ross.He walked to stand in front of the man and crossed his arms over his chest to keep from strangling the man, trying to ignore the woman’s pleas and cries.“Tell me.”

Ross stuttered.“Oh, well, her uncle owed us some money, and I was supposed to get it, but he didn’t have it, and so I thought we could use her as collateral until he pays up.”

Calum, Stuart, and the rest of his guys cursed, and the tension rose in the room.

Alastair just stared at the woman.She was tiny but had curved hips and larger breasts.She was dressed in a long white nightgown with lace.Her dark hair was tousled like she’d been pulled from bed.

“Who gave you permission to do that?”Alastair asked when he turned back at Ross.

“Well, no one.I just thought...”

“Is it your job to think?”Alastair asked.

“Well, no.”

“Jesus Christ, you dumbshit,” Stuart said.

Alastair walked up, cupped the woman’s chin, and raised her face.His breath stalled in his lungs because her eyes were the most beautiful he’d ever seen, even when they were red and swollen from crying.They were light blue in the middle and green on the other part, and they seemed to look right through him.

“Who is your family?”Alastair asked her.

She sniffed.“I don’t have one besides an uncle I haven’t seen in years.”

“No husband?”

“No.Please, let me go home.I won’t tell anyone.I don’t even know you,” she said.

For once in his life, he made a decision with his heart instead of his head.He pulled out a gun and shot Ross in the forehead in one smooth move.

Everyone in the room stood frozen and in shock until the woman screamed.

Alastair put his gun away and reached for her when it looked like she was going to faint, only to have her flinch in horror away from him.He knew why, but it still pissed him off, which was ridiculous.Of course, she would be terrified of him.He just murdered someone in front of her.

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