“Aww.” Perry tugs at a piece of my hair. “You and Winny kissed and made up.”
“We get to move back,” I say with a triumphant grin.
Keaton snorts out a laugh while Winston rolls his eyes.
“You can’t move back if you never lived here in the first place,” Winston explains as though we’re dense children and he’s the daddy. “You and the bird—”
“Our bird,” I interrupt and Shrimp chirps loudly in agreement from above us. “Shrimp is our bird.”
“You and the goddamn bird are simply being relocated.” He shoots me an agitated glare. “For fuck’s sake, Cinderelliott, get the hearts out of your eyes.”
“She’s not the only one with hearts in their eyes,” Perry mutters unwisely beside me.
Winston flips his middle finger out and waves it at him. “Enough of this. We have important things to discuss. Firstly, someone leaked out the fact that Ash was staying at the whore apartment?”
“The whore apartment?” Keaton mutters, amusement in his voice.
“Why?” Perry demands, growing serious. “What happened?”
“Some reporter guy was waiting for me upstairs and…” I shiver at the disgust that slithers through my veins. “He was a creep.”
Winston produces a phone and tosses it at Keaton. “I want all you can find on this journalist. Get Ulrich on it if you need to. Then, I want you to destroy him. Perverts who knock women out and then take pictures of their fucking underwear while they’re unconscious deserve much more than a simple ass beating.”
“What the fuck?” Keaton growls. “I’m on it.”
I shoot him a thankful smile.
“Not many people knew where Ash was staying,” Winston continues, “but the press found out. What’s really fucking alarming is how Scout Mannford knew. I’m certain he leaked it, but the big question is how did he know?”
I’m about to mention Nate, but that didn’t go over too well last time, so I throw Deborah under the bus instead. “Your secretary hates me. She dropped off my bird and belongings. Maybe it was her.”
“What about Nate?” Perry asks and I want to high-five him.
“Hmm,” is all Winston says. “I’ll get to the bottom of it. After my meeting with the Morellis. But, the bigger issue at hand is the threats Scout slung at me.”
Keaton leans forward, body tense and aching for a fight. “Need me to kick his ass?”
“He will be dealt with soon,” Winston growls. “Permanently.”
That sounds ominous, but at this point, I don’t care. I’m tired of Scout and his brothers trying to hurt me at every turn.
Perry squeezes my knee. “Are you okay?”
“Ash is fine. She didn’t talk to him and she won’t have to. If he comes near her, fuck him up.” Win’s command is directed at Keaton. “I need you to keep an eye on her while Perry and I have the Morelli meeting tonight. No one comes into this apartment.”
Winston paces in front of the empty birdcage. He’s usually tightly held together, so it’s a little unnerving to see him so unwound.
“Will you guys be safe?” I ask, drawing Winston’s intense stare my way. “From Leo?”
Winston scoffs. “We’ll be doing all the fucking at this meeting. Leo won’t be safe from us.”
“What if Leo goes all beast mode and decides to beat the shit out of you?” Keaton demands, making my stomach twist violently. “I’ve heard rumors about him. This is more than just bad business deals. This is life and death. Don’t leave me in charge of this family. I swear to God, I’ll fucking find you in Hell and kill you again if you do.”
“Keep your panties on,” Winston grinds out. “They won’t do anything in public. And if they try, that’s what Xavier and Todd are for.”
Keaton settles, but only marginally so. “Don’t provoke them. Just get your stupid building and get out of there.”
“Have you met Winston?” Perry asks, snorting. “He’ll provoke Leo until he loses his shit just for the entertainment value.”
“Please don’t,” I murmur, locking eyes with Winston. “I can’t raise our baby bird on my own. He needs a daddy.”
Winston’s lips twitch but he doesn’t smile. “I’ll make sure his inheritance is sufficient.”
Keaton sniggers, shaking his head. “Never thought I’d see the day when—”
“And you won’t see another one if you finish that statement,” Winston snaps at Keaton and then to Perry barks, “Let’s go.”
I launch myself from the couch and leap into Winston’s arms. He catches me on instinct, his palms going to my ass. With my fingers diving into his hair, I kiss him like it might be our last. He indulges me with a little tongue action and then he smacks my ass.
“We can do this later,” he grumbles.
“From your bed?” I bat my lashes at him. “Pretty please. I’ll pay handsomely for it.”
“I do not want to hear this,” Keaton complains. “I’m going to see what Francis can cook me up.”