This is the asshole who dared to put his hands on Meg?
“I’m here to buy this shithole of an apartment complex from you,” I say, putting some pressure on his throat so that he’s wheezing with each intake of air.
He tries to shake his head no, so I release a bit of pressure. He manages to croak out, “It’s not for sale.”
“Oh, I think it is,” I tell him. “I think the moment you put your goddamn hands on Meghan Taylor what’s yours became mine!” I give him another hard jab, and he cries out.
“She’s…an escort,” he says, as if that justifies it. “She’s used to being roughed up.”
I can’t help but raise my knee and jam it right into his tiny cock. “She’s a waitress, you fucking prick!” I shout as he grimaces in pain and uses his hands to cover what’s left of his manhood. “And you had no business snooping around her apartment!”
“I didn’t take nothing!” he squeaks out.
I don’t know whether I believe him or not, but that doesn’t matter at the moment. “Tell you what, Marv. You cooperate, and I’ll let you live. You keep being a dick, and we’ll acquire your apartment complex a different way.”
“Okay, okay!” he says, raising his hands up into the air. “I’ll sell it to you. If the price is right.”
“Brandon.” All I do is say his name, and my man produces a bag of cash that makes Koobak’s eyes glow with greed. He doesn’t need to know that the contract says two million dollars, and that’s not what’s in the bag.
Quickly, the slimeball agrees and signs the paperwork, chuckling under his breath the whole time, like he’s gotten himself a deal. When all of the paperwork is signed, I take it from him and hand it to Brandon. Koobak reaches for the bag of money, but I put up a hand to stop him.
“What were you looking for in Meg’s apartment?” I ask.
Koobak’s eyes shift uneasily, and then he begins to stammer. “Oh, uh…roaches,” he says.
“Bullshit,” I tell him.
“Listen,” he says with a shrug. “What does it matter? She’s just a dirty little bitch from Ohio.”
Rage overcomes me, and the hatred I’ve been trying to keep in check since the moment I saw Meg crying boils over. Before I even think twice, I pull my gun and send a single bullet through his forehead.
He crumples to the floor, and even though my decision was hasty, I don’t regret it.
“Get him taken care of,” I direct. Caleb and Brandon hop to it as I take care of the money and the paperwork. Other people might leave a trail the police could follow in such a circumstance, but I know that we can cover this up easily enough, and no one will ever even know I was here.
And the apartments will still be mine.
Less than an hour after Meg walked into the club crying, I’m back in the lounge, watching from a distance to see her laughing with Leah and Allie, a few remaining slices of pepperoni pizza on the table in front of them.
I can’t help but smile. Seeing her happy makes my heart sing in a way I can’t remember experiencing before.
She catches my eye from across the room, and I can see a thousand questions lingering there. I know she has tomorrow off, and I’m glad. Even though I won’t get to see her, at least she will get some well-earned rest.
“Meg,” I say, “you ready to head home?”
“H-home?”
I nod. “I’ll drive you. Don’t worry. You don’t have to worry about…anything…anymore.”
With reassuring smiles from her friends, she gets up and walks to me, and I feel my body respond to her. But she still works for me, and for now, I need to protect her and nothing more.
No matter how badly I want her.
CHAPTER8
MEGHAN
My coffee is a little more bitter than I like it, but I’m almost out of creamer. I need to get to the store. It’s my day off, and I have a lot I need to do. For now, I sit on my sofa, curled up with a blanket tossed across my legs, half staring out the window, half staring at the plank on the floor that still sticks up a little from when Mr. Koobak was messing around in my apartment. Thank God he didn’t find my stash of money in the closet.