Page 37 of Bitter Desire
Things I’d learned on the car ride included:
Yes, Law had killed before.A lot.
Yes, he’d started young, like high school age young.
No, he did not enjoy it, even when the marks were “human trash.”
Yes, he’d nearly died.A lot.
No, he didn’t still work for any of them. He’d gone clean the second he’d saved enough money to found his company. That had always been the end goal for him.
No, he didn’t feel guilty for the shit he’d done. It had been a job. And now that job was done, so“why the hell am I going to stay up at night thinking on it?”
“Thanks,” I said, leaning towards him and kissing his cheek with a smile. “I guess I was just tired after...everything.”
Yes. Everything. The whole of the world Law and I had started building together, the place where I was safe and happy, where we were safe and happy, had fallen down on our heads. We had been soft and open in the world where only we existed, but the ugly of who Law had been before I’d met him had been drug out of the corner I knew it lurked in. Carefully chosen words and sanitized truths aside, the whole of him was in front of me and even after my Q&A session with Law, I still didn’t get why someone had come after me. According to Law, when he’d made a break to go legitimate, he’d done it without any favors owed, without any toes stepped on. There had been nothing but respect and promises of drinks offered to him.
No one had it out for him. At least, not anyone that we needed to be afraid of.
So then who was it that had hired the man to grab me tonight?
My mind circled back to the text messages. Those I’d thought were from Christian and yet the man that grabbed me had talked about a woman. Also, kidnapping was a step too far for Christian, so it couldn’t be him. It just couldn’t be. Christian was a bully, but he wouldn’t resort to this.
Law’s arms came up around me and hugged me to him. “We’ll get you upstairs and into bed, princess. No jobs tomorrow.” He kissed my temple and gave me a squeeze before letting me go and moving towards the door. I shook my head and waved a hand at him. What did he mean no jobs tomorrow? I had saved enough for a rainy day, but I couldn’t just stop working out of nowhere.
“But, I need to work.”
“Fuck that, I’ll transfer you the money you need,” he said and got out of the car as if what he’d just said wasn’t a big deal. I stared after him with an open mouth. What the hell?
“Hey, get back here!” I yelled after him, but Law just shut the car door which told me he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. I got out of the car and followed him towards the elevator Taylor was already standing beside. “What do you mean you’re going to transfer me the money?”
Law didn’t stop walking, just kept right on going towards the elevators. “You’re not working. Not anymore,” he said.
I couldn’t see myself, but I knew my eyes were bugging out of my head. I lifted the skirt of the gown I still wore and hurried after him, but it was hard to keep up in my heels. I gritted my teeth and glared at his back. “You can’t just make up a rule like that without asking me first! That’s not how this works, Law!”
He stopped then and looked back at me. His stop was so sudden that I crashed into his back with a thump. His arms circled my waist and he jerked me to him. “I can when your safety is on the line. No arguing with me Honey.”
“Law, you can’t be serious. I have rent to pay. I have bills and-”
“And that’s on my dime now. Fuck it.”
I shook my head, hands coming up to push against his chest. “You can’t pay for me.”
“Honey, it’s only money. I can pay for you and I’m going to. You are not going out there to work where some psychopath can get at you. I want you where I know you’re safe. You’re not working, and that’s final.” I opened my mouth to tell him that wasn’t going to happen when Law brought out the big guns. “If anything happened to you, I’d lose it, Honey. I love you.”
I sucked in a deep breath as my knees went weak. I was glad Law had his arms around me. I needed the support to stay standing. He’d never told me he loved me before. This was the first time I’d heard him say the words. The first time, and it was because we were arguing about my safety with some person after me. I took in another steadying breath. I didn’t think this was how love declarations were supposed to go when you were in a normal relationship.
But we weren’t normal, were we?
“I love you too,” I told him, and he smiled at me. Eyes softening in the way I liked best, the warmth I’d been searching for returning to him in a rush, like a candle being lit in a dark room, and I leaned into his hold. “I love you.”
“I could fucking listen to you say that all night. Now take my goddamn money.” He kissed me and I opened my mouth to him eagerly. The first dip of his tongue made me moan, fingers twisting in his suit jacket. I needed him. After everything that had happened tonight, after all the truths that had been spoken, the weight of one more of that simplest of all truth—I love you.
I needed us to be together.
“Law.” My voice was hoarse and I leaned into him, eyes pleading for what I knew he wanted too.
“I know, princess.” He moved, pulling me up into his arms and he carried me towards the elevators without a second of pause. Taylor moved out of the way, just reaching out to hit the button for Law’s penthouse. As we waited for the elevator to come, Taylor’s eyes trained ahead at the entrance of the parking garage. I could see a man walking the perimeter of the building then and for the first time I wondered just how many people worked for Law.
