Page 29 of Vicious

“I heard that, but why? What’s really going on here?”

“Baby, we will discuss all that when we have more time. Right now, let’s go have dinner and check on the girls. Was Elizabeth happy to see you?”

I smiled at that and nodded. “She squealed and hugged me hard. Seeing her was a shock for me too. Vicious, is this about what we discussed back in Tennessee? Am I still in danger?”

He nodded. “It’s more than we originally thought. Montana found out some other things. Bad things, baby. We’re gonna sit down with you tomorrow to discuss it. In the meantime, you and the girls will stay with me and Elizabeth at Davenport Tower. Trust me when I say that no one will ever get to you there. The place is a fortress.”

“But the board said…”

“The board is trying to remove you, Linsey. Things are not as they should be. Like I said, Montana and I will tell you everything tomorrow. Right now, let’s just enjoy tonight. Okay?”

Nodding, I didn’t know what else to do. The board was supposed to help me protect the girls. To keep the line of succession in place so that no one could take Duchene International away from Adrianna. The company was her legacy. Though I hated it, it was a fact. Placing my hand in his, I followed him out of the room, wondering what else he wasn’t telling me.

It was late by the time Montana and a few other men I’d never met before surrounded the girls and me, along with Vicious and Elizabeth, as we walked into Davenport Tower. Holding a sleeping Brianna, Vicious stood next to Montana talking low as he held a sleeping Adriana. Elizabeth stood close to me, tired and ready for bed, while I carried Charlie in her carrier. The girls were exhausted. So was I. When the elevator doors opened, I followed Vicious into an exceptionally large two-story penthouse apartment. The place was massive. Completely furnished, the penthouse wanted for nothing from what I could see. Too tired to investigate, Vicious and I followed Montana and a man named Mercy up the stairs and down a hallway, stopping at the first door.

“Ms. Elizabeth, this is your room,” Mercy whispered, opening the door to a beautiful pink room fit for a growing young woman. What caught my attention was that everything in the room looked exactly like her room back in Tennessee. “All of your belongings have arrived from back home. I hope we set it up like you wanted.”

“It’s perfect,” Elizabeth smiled, slowly walking to her bed and collapsing on it, “So perfect.”

“Linsey’s, Andi’s and Bri’s rooms are across the hall. I hope it’s okay that they share a room. Later, if they want, I can draw up plans so all the girls can have their own room.”

“It’s perfect Mercy. Thank you.”

Walking across the hall into the shared room, I smiled, seeing everything Andi and Bri would ever need. They were still small and a room this big was plenty for them both. Vicious and Montana stepped forward and laid the sleeping girls in their respective beds.

Following Mercy as he opened another door, I found a small nursery for Charlie. Taking her out of her carrier, I laid her in her crib, standing there watching her sleep as Vicious came up behind me.

“I tucked all four girls in and they are asleep.”

“Thank you,” I murmured, “I’m scared Vicious. I can’t lose them.”

“No one will ever take them from you. I won’t allow that to happen.”

“Neither will we,” Montana said, walking over to the crib. “You and the girls are safe now.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means you are one of us now.”

Vicious took my hand. “Come on, baby. Let the girls sleep. They are safe here.”

I said nothing more as I followed Vicious and the others out into the hallway when I heard Montana say, “Tomorrow at nine, Vicious. Mom will be here early to watch the girls.”

Vicious shook the man’s hands before Montana and the others quietly left the penthouse, leaving me alone once more with Vicious. This whole scenario felt familiar, yet different. Before I could think about it, Vicious lifted me into his arms and carried me down the hall and into the master bedroom.

The furniture was his. The same as what was in Tennessee. Everything that was there was now here. Letting my feet touch the floor, Vicious leaned over me, his face close to mine. “I’m claiming you, Linsey. I meant what I said. You are mine. Never again will you be alone. You are my choice. My first and only choice. Tell me you still want me. Tell me you want me too?”

Tears clouded my vision as I looked at the man, begging me to accept him. The thing was, I already had. I wanted him from the moment I first saw him. He was perfect for me. Everything I thought I ever wanted and more.

He was my choice.

My first choice.

My only choice.

“I’ve loved you…” I started, but never finished, as his mouth claimed mine in a crushing kiss. This wasn’t just any kiss. This kiss solidified everything between us. He was claiming me just as I was claiming him. There would be no Linsey without Vicious anymore. In the blink of an eye, my solitary life was gone. Now, I belonged to something more. Something bigger than my family.

I could not help but inhale deeply as my eyes glided over the tall, dark-haired man that stood to the side of me. His chest was broad and his arms rippled with firm, defined muscles. Noticing how sexy he looked, I could not avert my eyes from his ruggedly handsome face and intense eyes. The man before me was everything I dreamed a man should be and more.

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