Total pages in book: 180
Estimated words: 168587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 843(@200wpm)___ 674(@250wpm)___ 562(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 168587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 843(@200wpm)___ 674(@250wpm)___ 562(@300wpm)
“Three.”
“Fuck you.” She turns her back on me to storm off and up to the apartment, but she runs face-first into one of my bartenders, Walter. Everyone is aware she’s my wife. I sent out an email before we opened this evening. It wasn’t for her to get special treatment, but to see if they picked on her more. Some chose to ignore her. Others chose to show her just how much they don’t want her here, and I will say she handled it better than I expected.
“When your husband gives you an order, you follow it,” he tells her.
“Fuck you, Walter.” She slams her hands into his chest and shoves him out of the way, but instead, he grabs her hair and yanks her toward me while she screams, trying to untangle herself from him.
My skin instantly begins to burn. My teeth clench, seeing his hands on her. I shift in the booth but stop myself from getting up. I wait to see what she does. How far will she allow him to go? Just how much fight does she have in her?
Finally, she manages to slam her hand into his face but not before he pushes her to the floor. “Don’t fucking touch me, you piece of shit!” she screams at him, shoving her now tangled hair out of her face.
“Four.” I keep counting, my eyes on her while my hands are fisted on the table.
Her narrowed eyes are on mine while she’s gasping for breath.
“You’re already on the floor.” I add to her already pissed-off attitude. “Crawl to me.”
Walter reaches down for her again, and she scrambles away from him. Pressing her back into the side of the bar, she knocks over a barstool in the process.
Everyone just stands around watching the exchange. I look over at Beau—another bartender—and arch a brow. He wants my wife. I also watched the way he looked at her tonight on the cameras. I’ve noticed the way all the men who work for me looked at her. I understand that they are all horny boys who haven’t had sex in years, but I still don’t like how they look at what’s mine. As if they think they’d have a chance with her. That I might be nice enough to strip her naked and tie her down to the bar for all to sample. Offer her up as a bonus. Over my dead body.
Beau throws his hands up. “Respectfully, sir. She’s your problem. Not mine.”
I smile and get up from the booth. She huffs, getting to her feet, and pretends to dust dirt off her already dirty uniform.
Stopping in front of Walter, I remove my knife from my back pocket and flip it open. Grabbing his wrist, I slam his hand down onto a table and stab the knife through it, pinning it down.
He screams, trying to jerk it away, but the knife is in the wood.
“Apologize,” I order.
“Wh-hat?” His shrill voice fills the open club.
I grip his hair, yanking his head back. “Apologize to my wife. Now.” My eyes go to hers, and she’s looking at me wide-eyed, her body frozen in shock.
“I’m … I’m sorry,” he growls through gritted teeth.
I remove the knife from his hand. He drops to his knees, holding it to his chest as it bleeds everywhere. Running the blade across my thigh, I close the knife and slip it back into my pocket. “Walter?”
“Yeah?” He lifts his head to meet my glare. I remove my gun from the back of my slacks and shoot him right between the eyes.
Lake’s scream follows the sound of my gun as blood splatters her uniform, and his body falls to the floor where she had been lying. She places her hand over her mouth, and silence follows as everyone stands paralyzed at what I just did.
“This will be your only warning. Don’t put your hands on my wife. Ever.” My voice rings loud and clear. Reaching out, I grab her shaking hand and yank her to me. “Clean this shit up,” I order, and everyone scrambles, getting back to work.
I pull her into the hallway, and she yanks her arm free of my hold. “Why don’t you just whip your dick out and piss on me,” she growls. “It might help get your point across.” Her palms hit my now bloody shirt.
I wrap my hand around her throat and shove her back into the wall, pushing my hips into her to pin her in place. “Nothing is off the table, darling.”
Her nostrils flare, her pretty blue eyes swimming in tears that she hasn’t allowed to fall yet. “You’re disgusting.”
I lower my lips to her ear, and whisper, “I am, but I will make you crave everything I choose to do to you.”
LAIKYN
I’m not surprised Tyson just killed that guy. I’ve known my father was a Lord since I was young, and I also knew what that entailed. What I am surprised about is that he killed Walter because of me. I don’t want that on my conscience. Another dead body because I couldn’t save them. Even if the man was a fucking prick.