“My point is that Natasha will never be safe from him. Five years are going to fly by and one day, he’ll come back and finish the job. My way, he never comes back.” He pauses, his eyes looking me over as if to double check my injuries. “He never hurts anyone again.”
I’m shaking. I don’t want to admit it… but he’s right. Natasha might spend her life running from this piece of shit. And…and hi might have a mind to come after me too.
“Go home,” he says. “Club’s closed until tomorrow. Anybody asks, a pipe burst.”
“You want me to lie?”
“I want you to do as you’re fucking told,” he growls at me. “The situation’s handled. I’ll make sure your friend calls you once she’s safe at home.”
With that, he walks back into the club. As the door opens, I see Carter tied to a chair, his face covered in sweat and his hair in his face. With wide eyes, he looks at me desperately as the door closes, cutting me off completely.
14
ROMAN
It was a long night and an even longer morning, but the dirty work is done and the business is back on as usual.
When I came into the office this evening, everything was moving along like nothing at all happened… though I’ll have to remind Natasha to keep quiet about everything to their coworkers. Pretty sure I drove the point home after I sent her and Junie off to get looked at, but one never knows.
Last I heard, she’s all right. She walked away with a black eye, bruises and fingernail cuts around her neck, but otherwise, she’s all right. I made sure to give her a few thousand dollars so she can take some time off to heal.
My guys are all through the club now. Junie’s home with a concussion, so I had to get somebody to cover the door anyway. I’m sure Ember’s pissed about that, but she’ll just have to get over it.
As for Natasha’s boyfriend? He won’t bother her again. I made sure of that.
I’m sitting on the couch in my office, having a drink. My fists are bruised and sore. That guy had a hard face and could take a punch. Those first few punches were like hitting concrete. Just like concrete, however, if you hit it enough times, it eventually cracks and crumbles.
I look down at the club and the spot where we ‘handled’ things. The blood has been mopped up. The teeth, fingers, and toes that were left in puddles of blood around his chair were found and disposed of. The sin we committed is as gone as he is.
A knock at the door. I turn just as it opens and Ember peeks her head in. “Are you busy?”
“No,” I answer. “Come in.”
She comes all the way in and closes the door behind her. Tonight, like every night, she looks good, a simple cream business suit and her white blonde hair tied up in a bun. It’s very professional and sexy as fuck.
I look away from her, drinking my glass of vodka. She’s probably about to lay into me about what happened.
“I know you said no ‘business’ on the premises,” I say, beating her to it. “But you have to understand. Last night was something that needed to happen.”
“It didn’tneedto happen,” she says, “but I get why you did it.” I hear her sigh heavily. “Thank you… for taking care of things.”
I look over my shoulder at her. She’s got her hands clasped in front of her humbly.
“For the record,” I say, “I don’t take pleasure in doing shit like that. The way I see it?—”
“Would you have done the same for me?” she asks.
It’s an honest question. It deserves an honest answer. “He’d have gotten worse for coming after you.”
She doesn’t respond. She walks all the way in and sits on the arm of the couch and goes, “Good to know, I guess. Anyway, it’s done and over with… and Natasha’s safe. I’m grateful for that. Let’s drop it, okay?”
I nod and take another sip from my glass. She scowls as her eyes train on my reddened and lacerated knuckles.
“That looks infected,” she says. “You should wrap them up.”
“It’s fine,” I tell her.
“No, it’s not. Hold on.”
