“The difference?”He shook Fee again.This time letting her go with a not so gentle shove.“The difference is,” he glowered at me, “she's a fuckin' whore and you're a fucking virgin.My guys don't want a fucking whore.They can pay a lot less coin for someone like her.”His hand motioned to where Fee now stood.“These guys don't want a slut whose legs are always open.They want fresh meat.”
Bile rose in my throat.His words disgusted me.This whole situation disgusted me.
“Great.Sounds good.Let's go,” I said nonchalantly, walking right up to him.I stared him in the eye, trying not to let the fear I felt inside show through.
“Get upstairs and get fuckin' ready.Fast.”His arm shot out toward the stairs.“No fuckin' around this time.You hear me?”
I nodded and turned.“Yeah, Aldo.I hear you.Loud and clear.”
18
Stefan
“Still nothing?”I asked Nick.Even though I knew full well what his answer would be.The same as what it always was.
“Nothing.I had to pull a few guys off and put them on Raul.Watching Asher is the top priority at the moment,” he stated something I already knew.Asher had somehow infiltrated Raul Ramiro's business.He was in there like a dirty shirt, getting information and feeding it to us.It was a dangerous mission.
No.
It was a thousand times more dangerous than that.If Raul got the tiniest breeze of knowledge that Asher was Eve's brother—Asher would be in deep shit.And Eve likely wouldn't have a brother left afterward.
“Yeah,” was all I said.That wasn't a surprise.Finding Francesca had been put on the back burner for weeks.Ever since I came to the realization that Francesca left because she really didn't want me anymore—I'd let her go.
Almost.
But not really.
In my logical, thinking brain, I let her go.If she didn't want to be with me, why the fuck would I want to be with her?There were any number of women who'd be proud to be on my fuckin' arm.They'd kill to stand next to me.
But not Francesca.
Coming to this conclusion in my logical, thinking brain did not mean the rest of my brain agreed.
Because it clearly didn't.
Not at all.
The rest of me wanted what I wanted.
And that was Francesca.
My dreams were filled with her.Naked, curvy, delicious Francesca.
Yes.
But also, with the caring, competent, artistic Francesca.
Many of my dreams consisted of us sitting on her shitty couch in her shitty apartment.That stupid show that she loved stuck on the TV.
Fuck.
I could even smell her landlord’s fucking corned beef wafting up my nose.
We'd just be sitting there.Me eating a delicious hamburger.Francesca busy drawing more puzzle pieces.
And we were fucking happy.Really fucking happy.
And then—I'd wake up.
