Total pages in book: 17
Estimated words: 15173 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 76(@200wpm)___ 61(@250wpm)___ 51(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 15173 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 76(@200wpm)___ 61(@250wpm)___ 51(@300wpm)
I open my mouth to argue but end up closing it when I realize I don’t really want to stand outside alone while I wait for my Uber.
Chapter
Three
DANTE
After my little beauty leaves, I hunt down Dmitri to figure out what the fuck is going on. The three rings means there are cartel-related issues.
“What happened?” I find my nephew standing at the front door with two of our bodyguards-slash-enforcers. He turns to look at me, and I see blood dotting his white shirt.
“Carmona Kings dickheads tried to sneak by the front door staff.” Dmitri takes a handkerchief out of his pocket and wipes at the small red smudges on his knuckles. “I politely asked them to leave before showing them the door when they resisted.”
Motherfucker. Those assholes are getting more and more brazen. It’s about time I do something to cement my standing as the only underworld leader in this area.
“We’re going to need to have a meeting,” I tell Dmitri. “And make the appropriate plans to discourage their attempts.” No telling who the fuck is listening in, so I choose my words carefully.
“I’ll arrange it,” Dmitri agrees and turns to head back to the offices when I stop him.
“And I need you to do me a favor.” I pull out the information Belle gave me a few minutes ago. I’m relieved to hear that my girl was in this bar helping a friend out, but I don’t want her to have a reason to come back. Unless she’s with me in my protected office that is.
“I can’t believe you’re turning me into a glorified errand boy to keep a woman you just met tonight happy,” Dmitri grumbles as he signals two of our men over.
“That woman is my soulmate,” I tell him, ending the argument. “And I expect you to treat her as such.”
“Motherfucking Silver Spoon Falls water,” my nephew grumbles as he walks away. He’s acting put out, but I know my nephew well. Ever since his sister found her soulmate here in Silver Spoon Falls, he’s been waiting for the same thing to happen to both of us. A part of me suspects he is even looking forward to having a woman in his life.
Karma or fate or the Silver Spoon Falls water does have a horrible sense of timing, though. It dropped my soulmate into my life right in the middle of my battle to keep the Carmona Kings from weaseling in on my territory.
Five minutes later, I get a text from Bruno that my girl made it home safely. Now that I’ve found her, I refuse to take any chances with her safety, so Bruno is going to camp out across the street from her apartment to keep an eye on her until I can arrange for a permanent bodyguard for my little beauty.
I spend the next day planning to woo and protect Belle. Every time my phone vibrates, a thrill shoots through me at the thought that my little beauty is texting me. Unfortunately, none of the messages are from her, which kills my good mood.
When Dmitri gives me undisputable evidence that her roommate’s sleazeball boyfriend has been fucking one of our strippers, I finally have the excuse to text my girl. Fuck. She’s turning me into a goddamn teenager.
I pull out my phone and send a picture to Belle.
your roommate needs to kick this dick to the curb.
I count the seconds until her reply comes like a lovesick puppy.
Belle
I need to kick my roommate to the curb, too.
My little beauty doesn’t have to worry about getting rid of her roommate. That will be taken care of when I move Belle into my place. The quick report Dmitri pulled on Belle gave me just enough information to know that my girl isn’t going to be happy with me interfering with her life. My independent little beauty put herself through college and medical school on scholarships and by working two jobs after her parents died in a car accident.
Belle won’t have to fight to take care of herself any longer. That’s my job now. I’m sure she’s going to give me a fight when I step in, but she’ll get over it. Her safety and happiness are now my biggest concern.
She has an unbelievable hold on my heart. My little beauty occupies my mind every second of the day, and I have a hard time concentrating on business. Dmitri seems amused by my predicament while the rest of my men are dumbfounded.
After the last meeting of the day finally comes to an end, I sit back and take a deep breath while I think about my little beauty.
“You need to go kidnap your girl and lock her up somewhere so you can get your head back in the game.” Dmitri hands me a glass of my favorite whiskey. “We have to figure out this cartel shit before the fuckers get any more brazen.”