Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 92474 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92474 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
“It’s not safe.”
“It would be a risk,” Regent said. “But I didn’t expect you to be so agreeable about not going back.”
“There are other reasons, aren’t there?” Victor asked.
“Yes. It isn’t doing well,” she admitted to him. “I’m a great baker but a failure at accounts.”
“We can help you with that,” Maxim said. “I have a great accountant.”
“Thank you, but it’s not just that. I’ve been keeping the bakery open in my grandpa’s memory, but I’m not sure I’m enjoying it anymore. That area of town has become so unsafe. And the other day . . .” she trailed off, unsure whether she should tell Victor this.
She let out a deep breath.
“The other day, what?” Victor asked.
“I had a visit from two members of the Ventura gang.”
“What?” Victor’s eyes widened. “And what did they want?”
“To offer me protection. For a fee.”
17
Victor clenched his jaw together as the room went silent.
He had to work hard to keep his rage from spilling over.
How the fuck had this happened? How had he not known? How long had she kept this from him?
“When?”
She eyed him cautiously. He never wanted her to be afraid of him, but he also wanted her to know that this wasn’t acceptable.
“Saturday evening. They caught me at the bakery alone.”
Right. So, she hadn’t really been keeping it from him. A lot had gone on since then.
“I didn’t text and ask you to come over because of that,” she said hastily, obviously misreading his silence. “I’d decided before they came in that I wanted to be with you.”
“I’m not upset with you, baby. I’m fucking furious that any of those assholes got close to you.” He stared down at her. “Did they touch you? Hurt you?”
She swallowed heavily and looked away.
Mother. Fucker.
“Tell me,” he said in a hoarse voice. He needed to destroy something. Kill it. A rage, unlike anything he’d ever felt before, filled him. The demons he needed to exorcise by pummeling some evil asshole in the ring had nothing on what now had hold of him.
Kill. Destroy.
Protect.
“What did they do?”
“Nothing that bad,” she said hastily. “Really, it’s not worth mentioning.”
“Do. Not. Lie.”
“Best tell him, doll,” Maxim said quietly. “He’s not going to harm you, but he needs to know.”
“Of course I wouldn’t harm her. Gracen knows that.”
She nodded. “I should have mentioned it.”
He let out a low noise of dissent. “You are never to keep things from me. Ever.”
“I just . . . I don’t want to upset you. Your head—”
“My head will be fine. Tell me.”
“I, uh, I told them I didn’t have the money to pay them. They wanted six hundred a month. I don’t have that sort of money. And one of them pushed me back against the wall. He said . . . he said I could pay in other ways. And he, uh, he squeezed my breast.”
The last part was said in a whisper.
He stood hastily with her in his arms. His chair slammed back on the floor, and she let out a startled yelp.
“Victor! Victor!” Regent said. “You cannot let the anger get ahold of you.”
He breathed in and out heavily. He needed to punch something. The gym.
“Wait,” Regent said. “If you’re headed to destroy something, then leave Gracen here.”
“No,” he replied.
She held onto him.
“You cannot put her at risk,” Maxim told him warily.
“Going to the gym.”
There was a collective sigh of relief.
“The gym? You can’t work out with your concussion, Victor,” she told him. “You shouldn’t be carrying me.”
“She’s right, Victor,” Lottie said. “You could do yourself some damage. And who will protect Gracen if you’re hurt?”
Fuck! Fuck!
But he had to have some way to let the rage out. Normally being with her calmed him . . . but this was different.
“If you still want to go,” Regent said calmly, “then leave Gracen here. Lottie can show her to your room so she can rest.”
“No.” He wasn’t letting her out of his sight. Not in the immediate future. Maybe never.
“I still have some things I need to ask,” Regent said calmly.
Victor picked up his chair, setting it down before forcing himself to sit. But he was right on the edge, so Regent better be careful.
“What is it?”
“Did anyone know about the two of you? You went to Matteo’s that time, but is that it? Is Santiago liable to know about Gracen?”
“I don’t know. We kept things quiet. After that dinner, I tried to only come to her when there was no one around.”
“Gracen?” Regent asked.
“Ah, my friend Sammy knows I’m seeing someone but not who he is. But my niece knows.”
“Your niece?” Regent asked. “She works for you?
“Ah, yes. She came to live with me after her dad, my brother, died. But now she lives with her boyfriend, Ice.”
“Ice?” Lottie asked. “That can’t be his real name.”
“I think it’s Robert,” she told him. “Actually, there’s something else you need to know.”