“Don’t go.” She gripped my hand. “I want to continue this conversation.”
“We will.” I winked. “Go to the bar and get yourself another martini.” I brushed her knuckles along my lips before releasing her hand. “I’ll join you soon.”
“Who would be so brave?” I asked Lucas as we hurried through the throng of dancers. “Selling shit in my territory is a death sentence.”
“I don’t know who he is, but it appears he came in with Bello,” Lucas said.
“Why am I not surprised?”
Romeo Bello had been a problem for a few months, but lately he had been staying out of my way, so I assumed he came to his senses.
“Over here.” Lucas pointed to the dark hallway that led to a set of bathrooms. “Our guys have him cornered.”
Once I approached my security team, they parted, letting me see the piece of shit who dared to defy me.
“Let me go.” The man with the crumpled dress shirt and no tie tried to struggle out of my guy’s hold. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“We found this on him.” Josh, my lead security man, showed me a few packets of pills. “He tried to sell it to one of our people.”
“Do you have a death wish?” I asked the man who came into my club and tried to profit off me. “Do you know who I am?”
“Yes.” When he looked at me, I saw the fear in hisexpression, but that wasn’t what stole my attention. It was the familiarity in his eyes. Almost as if I had just been staring into those green depths, except I didn’t find his as spectacular. “I didn’t sell anything.”
“But you tried.”
“No, I didn’t… Look, I’ll leave.”
“The only way you’ll be leaving here is in a body bag.” I motioned for my guard to release the idiot. “But not before I teach you a lesson.”
After security let go of him, I hauled back my fist and connected with his nose, forcing him to the ground. He fell to his knees with his nose spurting blood as he looked up at me.
“Stop!” a frantic voice yelled. “Don’t hurt him.”
I turned to find Sable appearing even more frazzled than when I had first approached her. She stared at the wanna-be drug dealer who dripped blood over my favorite Versace shoes.
“Sweetheart,” I said. “This doesn’t concern you. Go back to the bar and wait for me.”
“I can’t.” Her eyes filled with tears. “He’s my brother.”
“Your brother?”I can’t make this shit up.
She nodded.
“Does that make you his fucking decoy?” As I stepped toward her, she stumbled into the wall. “Because if you are working with him, you’re not going to live to see the new year.”
TWO
Sable
How didI end up on Milo Accetti’s hit list?
I told Chance we shouldn’t have come here, but he didn’t listen to me.
“Well?” Milo demanded. He slammed his hand against the wall, inches from my face, making me jump.
A few minutes ago, he had filled me with a desire so strong that I would have done anything he asked, but now he had me fearing I wouldn’t take my next breath.
“Please,” I said. “My brother might have deserved the punch, but don’t hurt him again.”