“I’m very rarely wrong,” I tell her, “you’ll learn soon enough now, sleep, we have a busy few days.”
She frowns, “You think I’ll bend to you, but I won’t. You don’t and will never own me.”
“We’ll see.”
She scoffs, “Asshole.”
“Sleep little bird,” I jerk my head to the pillows, “tomorrow is a new day.”
“I’m not sleeping here.”
She says this as I gently coax her down onto the bed, pushing gently until her back hits the mattress.
“I’ll follow,” I promise. “Wherever you go, I’ll be one step right behind you.”
Fatigue clings to her fibers, pulling her under. I’ve put her through the ringer, it’s bound to have caught up by now and the promise of a plush mattress and a warm body is singing to that deep seated desire for comfort. Her body curls in on itself, in the centre of the bed, she tucks her knees to her chest and wraps her arms around them before her eyes fall closed, too heavy to fight.
“I won’t let you win,” she mumbles, half asleep.
Leaning over her, I tuck a single copper curl behind her ear, “Oh but little bird, I’ve already won.”
Leaving her sleeping in my bed, I head down to my office. I’ve been detached from the business for too long and it’s time to get back on track.
I text Ryker to meet me here in an hour, he’s been on the ground whilst I’ve been busy with Wren so he’s the perfect person to get me up to speed with what’s happening out there.
I’m sat in the chair behind the desk, swirling amber liquid around a glass when my right hand walks in. He still looks pissed but he’s loyal. I wasn’t bluffing when I told him I’d put him down and he knows it. We may have been friends since we were kids but no one questions me. Not even him. And no one, I mean fucking no one, not even the devil himself, will threaten what belongs to me.
“Boss,” He greets, lowering himself in the chair opposite me.
“I want a report,” I tell him, leaning forward.
“Two shipments hit the dock tonight, our guys are on it, moving the cargo to the new warehouses. The dealers were getting a little mouthy since the last lot they were due to get went up in smoke but they’ve settled now.”
“Which dealers?”
People are forgetting their place. Not being out and in the masses is clearly giving them the wrong idea that I won’t get involved should I have to.
“Dawson is dealing with it,” Ryker grumbles.
“Is he now.”
Ryker nods, shoulders stiff.
“What else?”
His eyes dart to the left and that’s not a good sign. He’s hiding something.
“What is it?” I demand.
“Valentine’s men showed up at the dock tonight, throwing threats to our guys, nothing happened but one of them mentioned something that I think we need to keep an eye on.”
“Go on.”
“We all know how much of a pain in the ass Valentine is, he wants his daughter back and I’m sure he’ll go to whatever measure he needs to, to get her back but I don’t actually think Valentine is calling the shots anymore.”
I lean forward, “What do you mean?”
“The guys weren’t happy to be there, they found it pointless coming after a girl and whether they meant to or not, they mentioned how the boss wouldn’t be happy deviating from the plan.”