“What boss?”
“They called them the Syndicate.”
“So Valentine has teamed up with this organization?”
Ryker shrugs, “I think it might be wise to give her back. Settle this down for a while.”
“Good job I don’t pay you to think.” I growl. There was no way I was giving her back. Not only is that weak as fuck and goes against everything this family has built, the girl stays by my side at all times from here on out. There was no question about it.
“Well you’re not going to kill her, there’s no reason to keep her.”
“She’s mine!”
“I feel a war coming, Lex, one that I’m not sure we’re prepared for. Giving her back is the smart move here.”
“Valentine is tiny, you’re worried he’ll destroy this?” I stretch out my arms, “this is an empire Ryker, and our army is bigger, better and stronger. We have the power. He has nothing.”
“Except this Syndicate, we don’t know who they are and what strings they can pull.”
I roll my eyes, “Well then, let’s set up a little meeting shall we? Get some information.”
“When?”
I scrub a hand across my mouth, “Tomorrow night. Take him to the club.”
Ryker nods and stands, “Is that all?”
“Set up a meeting with Dawson,” I tell him, “for Sunday, he needs to handle his dealers better.”
With another nod, Ryker steps from the room. Silence settles around me once more and my mind drifts to the girl asleep in my bed.
My legs carry me from the room quietly, up the stairs until I’m hovering above her. To look at her now you would never assume the girl is feisty as hell, it’s easy to forget when she sleeps so peacefully.
Without thinking too much about it, I slip into the bed beside her, pulling the blanket up to cover us both. A soft sigh escapes her lips as she rolls towards me, tucking her face against my chest. I stiffen when her arm comes around to hold my waist, her leg thrown over both of mine like she’s ivy clinging to a pole. Her breath fans against my bare chest.
This was a terrible idea. I didn’tsleepwith women. We don’t share beds other than for fucking, we certainly don’t fucking cuddle. When I try to move, her body tightens against mine to the point where I truly believe if I stood, she’d still be hanging off me.
“Fuck,” I grumble as she settles in further, as if trying to climb inside of me and now I can’t move.
It would be easy to throw her off, wake her and kick her out of bed but now I’m here and she’s curled into me like she needs me, I can’t bring myself to do it.
I’m clearly going fucking soft.
That’ll change tomorrow night.
When I woke this morning Wren was gone, I had searched for her, but she had made herself scarce, if I didn’t know better, I would have assumed she’d made her escape. But my men have been posted throughout the house and I had confirmation Wren had been seen last in the kitchen a little over twenty minutes ago.
I hold the fabric in my hands as I continue my search for her. The house is big but notthatbig, she’s either literally hiding likes she’s a six year old playing hide and seek or she’s purposely avoiding me. I’m not the quietest of people, my size doesn’t allow me to be stealthy and silent but hers does. She’s likely keeping an eye out and darting off without a peep before I can catch up to her.
It's pissing me off.
As I storm down one of the halls, a rhythmic thud has my ears perking. It’s coming from the gym I had installed a few months back and contains every piece of equipment you could ever need. The door is cracked and through it I see her. Her copper hair is pulled up into a pony tail, it swings like a pendulum side to side as she jabs at the bag suspended from the ceiling. Her small body moves quickly, the power she packs in her punch surprising. Sweat makes her skin shine under the lights and her eyes are laser focused on her task.
“Unless you’re offering to replace the bag, I don’t want to talk to you,” she grunts, slamming another fist into the leather. I notice then she isn’t wearing any gloves or tape, her knuckles are split, trickles of blood snaking around her fingers and dripping onto the mats under her bare feet.
“That’s enough,” I order.
She ignores me, slamming another fist into the bag, harder this time. Blood smears across the bag.