Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
“This woman is my son’s wife,” Nikita said.
“That’s not exactly the truth,” Joshua said. “Like you, I don’t like being lied to. I don’t do business with people prone to screwing me over. I didn’t know who she was to you when you asked about the painting. I was already fucking her and I wasn’t about to give her up until I knew if she was carrying my kid.”
“Your leopard marked her.” Nikita made it a statement. The way he said it, the ritual disgusted him.
“My leopard got off on that shit and so did I. Made her think she was special to me.” Joshua’s voice held a convincing sneer.
Sonia’s breath caught in her throat. He sounded so frank. So real. Even Gatita had to acknowledge that what he said was the absolute truth. She had a choice. She could curl up inside and die, believing Joshua had truly played her, or she could fight back, whether he’d done that or not. She had choices. She might be in a room with predators, but she wasn’t without her own weapons. She chose to believe that Joshua Tregre was her man and that he’d just walked alone into the lion’s den for her.
His bodyguards have to be close. Gatita was positive. They wouldn’t let him come alone. Kai and Gray watch him all the time and Evan rarely leaves his side.
That was true, and it made her feel better, although if he’d come with just those three men, they would have their hands full subduing Nikita’s guards outside.
“You touch her?” Joshua’s voice was casual. For the first time he glanced at her.
His gaze hurt. It burned. She felt it all the way through her skin, straight to her soul. Cold as ice. Not one trace of the warmth, or the heat or desire his eyes usually held when he looked at her.
She looked down at her fingers, twisting them together, trying to figure out his plan, forcing her mind away from betrayal. It was so easy to go there. Her father’s actions had been the first betrayal, putting his wife and daughter in jeopardy. Nikita pretending she mattered in his household. Even Filat had been nice to her. And Sasha. She had believed Sasha had tried to kill her. It was a long list of men who had misled her into believing she mattered to them. Joshua was playing right into her worst fears.
“I decorated her, added to the marks on her,” Nikita sneered.
Joshua’s ice-cold gaze flicked over him. “That body belongs to me, not you, Nikita,” he said softly. “The only marks on her should be mine. It’s called ownership.”
“I like your way of thinking, but I have to dispute your claim. My family had her first.”
“And you lost her. For a fuckin’ year. I’d say that was the end of your claim. She’s got my kid in her belly and she isn’t goin’ anywhere.” His accent deepened, but he looked the exact same. Tough as nails. No give.
Nikita held up his hand, his oily smile plastered on his face. “Bitches are rarely worth fighting over. This particular one led my son around by his dick until he was useless to me. Her family owes me a large debt. Her fucking father stole from me.” His voice hardened, snapped like a whip when he mentioned her father. “I treated him like a brother, and he stole from me. So, I took his wife, and now I’ll take his daughter as payment.”
Joshua slowly shook his head. “That’s not happening, Nikita. I can see why you would think you had a claim, but I can’t let her go until I know if she’s having my kid. I need a son.”
“You’re young. You can find others like her.”
Joshua sent him a faint grin. “Because there’s so many.”
The mild sarcasm should have sent Nikita into a fury. Sonia remembered how he would get angry over the smallest perceived slight. She knew he had never forgiven her father. He wouldn’t even say his name. He wouldn’t allow them to say it. When she was young and didn’t know the truth, she thought it was because he grieved for him. Now she knew it was because he despised him – and because of her father, her as well.
“I understand,” Nikita said. “I wouldn’t want to give her up if I thought she carried my child in her belly. Perhaps we should negotiate. The pipeline could be very lucrative. I would consider giving up my claim for a larger percentage.”
Joshua shook his head. “With regret, I can’t change that deal. It isn’t just my deal. Elijah is a big part of that, and you don’t want to fuck with him – not when it comes to money or product.”
Drugs? Her stomach lurched. She pressed a hand to it and breathed deeply to keep from vomiting. She was in so far over her head. She had to trust Joshua. She had to. She had no other real choice. He played both sides to get rid of people like Nikita. It was just that he played the game so well. Even Nikita, who barked orders at everyone, respected him enough to bargain rather than pull out a weapon and shoot him.