I sigh as he eagerly grabs her ass and shoves his wet tongue down her throat. The giggle that leaves her throat is so loud the entire street can hear how fake it is.
“Want me to kill him?” Hayes asks deadpan.
I give him a pinched expression.
“At least let me rough him up a bit, so he’ll know who he’s dealing with. Look at him; he’s just a baby looking for attention and her daddy’s money. We can squash this tonight, and he’ll never want to come near her again,” Hayes continues.
Beckett looks like he wants to murder this guy. He knows he’s going to have to babysit this asshole instead of getting his wife home. Ri yawns, and I suspect I know why they’re both eager to go home and not deal with this drama.
I don’t respond. Everyone seems to agree it’s my decision on how to handle the situation. As much as I want to personally pummel the guy until he decides never to touch Rialta again, I’m not going to.
They aren’t in love. It’s clear she’s just using him to get under my skin to try and convince me not to marry her. She doesn’t realize this isn’t about her, and I could care less. I don’t care what she does or who she fucks. I don’t care if she’s a virgin or not. I don’t care about her beyond the deal I made with her father.
The sooner she learns that, the sooner she’ll stop acting out and start negotiating what she wants in this marriage. Getting out of it isn’t an option for either of us.
But dealing with this asshole is a delicate balance of finding a way to get rid of him, while not making her hate me even more than she already does.
Casually, I walk over to the tangled couple. They don’t notice me, too entranced with each other like teenagers making out before one of them sneaks in after curfew.
Without a word, I scoop Rialta up in my arms.
“Hey, put me down!” she yells as I lift her up. Her boyfriend smartly doesn’t fight. He doesn’t even attempt to hold onto her as I take her away.Maybe he won’t die after all.
I walk her to my Audi and set her down in the passenger seat. I slam the door without a word to her and then start walking to the driver’s side.
“Rialta is staying with me tonight. Beckett and Ri, you can have the night off.”
Ri is about to protest, but Beckett whispers something in her ear, and she nods her agreement. She’s too tired to quarrel.
“Hayes and Gage, follow behind us. I need to speak to Rialta alone, but keep watch for us.”
I don’t wait for them to agree; I know they will.
I get into my seat, buckle my seatbelt, and then I start driving. I’m genuinely surprised to find that Rialta already has her seatbelt on and hasn’t tried to make a run for it. That little public display of affection was just a show, and she’s not really going to fight this. She knows we have no choice but to get married at this point now that her father has announced it. It was just one final act of rebellion.
I don’t speak as I drive carefully through the streets of Chicago. She doesn’t ask where we are going or what changed my mind.
I spot Hayes and Gage in the car behind me as I drive, which puts me at ease.
“Can you be driving any slower, grandpa?”
“Giving you time to cool off and lower your libido before we get to my apartment. I wouldn’t want you all hot and bothered and accidentally cheat on your boyfriend.”
She glares at me. “Don’t act like you’re not upset that I have a boyfriend I’m regularly seeing while you have no one.”
“Okay, I won’t act. I don’t have to. I’m not upset. I could care less who you fuck.”
“Sure, you don’t.” She studies me closely, looking for any sign of anger, stress, or annoyance. She’ll find none. I’m more determined than ever to do what I have to do to protect those I love. And in order to do that, I have to keep her alive—no matter how annoying she is.
She sighs when she doesn’t find what she’s looking for and instead puts her feet up on my dashboard.
My lips curl as I glare at her.
“Really? My feet on your dash—that’s what’s annoying to you?”
“This is a very safe car. You putting your feet up where the airbags are isn’t safe. You could break your legs if the airbags go off.”
She doesn’t lower her legs. “You don’t care if I break my legs. You just care that I’m getting your precious car dirty.”