“I’m on my way,” Jack says grimly. “Julian, this can’t keep happening. You can’t keep him in the family. It’s a disgrace, a weakness. Your enemies will think you’re an easy target.”
I blow out another breath, pacing the hallway as Jack tells me exactly what I already know.
“I’m aware.”
“Which means the alliance with the Russians?—”
“You leave that to me,” I growl into the phone. “I’ll take care of her.”
Jack pauses. “Do you have feelings for the girl?”
“Just get here.”
I hang up and Rome turns to me. “They’re on the way.”
“Jack is as well.”
The door opens and Rome’s number two, Luke, steps out.
“He’s pissed himself,” Luke says with disgust.
A slow smile spreads over my lips. “Good.”
Six
NATASHA
“I’m making tea,”the one named Lulu says as Scarlett sits next to me on a couch in the most beautiful penthouse I’ve ever seen.
“Do you want me to get you some comfortable clothes?” Scarlett asks. She’s very sweet. They both are. Both beautiful and kind, and I’m not sure why they’re being so nice to me.
Because Julian told them to.
Julian found me. He stopped Elliott, and he found me before my fiancé could rape me and hurt me the way he was hurting that woman.
“Where’s Julian?” I ask softly.
“He’s with the other guys taking care of Elliott,” Lulu says as she passes me the hot cup of tea.
“Was Elliott hurt?” I ask with a frown.
That doesn’t sound right. Everything in my head feels jumbled. I tried to block out what my fiancé was doing to that poor woman, to pull inside myself and disassociate. It was horrifying.
“Not yet,” Scarlett adds. “But he will be when they’re done with him.”
My gaze bounces between the two women. “What do you mean?”
“Rome and Julian won’t let him get away with treating you and Miranda like that,” Lulu says. “Rome has a strict policy about consent, and if a person says their safe word, it’s honored,or else.”
“Is that why she kept saying ‘cucumber’?”
“Yes,” Scarlett says and reaches over to pat my knee, but I flinch out of the way.
“I’m sorry, I don’t like to be touched.”
“No problem at all,” the other woman assures me, holding her hands up and keeping a safe distance away. “Your body, your choice.”
I scoff at that before sipping my tea, which is perfectly sweet, and then setting it on a nearby table.
