Part 20 (2/2)
”Its more important than ever not to hire her girls. Thats what he was suspicious of. He gave away that theyre trying to connect them to an underground s.e.x trader.” He paused but spoke with clear authority. ”Hire those new girls, let me deal with Alessandra.”
The smell of burning rubber and cardboard invaded my senses and my stomach rolled. I moved my hand to my nose, trying to block the smell discreetly. No one else seemed to even notice it, but it was taking over all my thoughts at the worst time.
”d.a.m.n. Do you think Alessandra is part of all that?” Ian scratched the side of his neck, face only showing curiosity.
”I dont know.”
”Oh please, we all know its probably true, but who cares as long as we dont go down for it?”
Gage stiffened beside me. ”What do you know about this?”
The smell in the room intensified. My mouth was watering, and I was fighting back nausea that had nothing to do with the conversation. My morning sickness had gotten better, but it would still pop up randomly. I didnt want to leave this conversation though.
”The same stuff you know.” She let out a harsh, brief laugh. ”Those girls dont care, most are eager to turn tricks for money. Its not like shes forcing them to do anything. All those girls come from the poorest corners of Russia. Any slum in America is an upgrade, and Alessandra lets them live far above poverty.”
”And thats all fine, but once theyre sold, the choice stops there. So you need to tell me what you know.” Gage leaned forward, forearms perched on his knees.
”I just said I didnt know anything. Ill tell you when I do.” Her eyes narrowed on me as Gage gripped my leg.
He stood up, eyes intent on my face. ”Were done here then. Come on.”
”Jesus, barely any details and she looks like shes going to spew. Why was she even part of this? She cant handle it. She didnt even say s.h.i.+t.”
”Thats because I dont run my mouth just to hear myself talk. But Im fine. Dont worry about me.” I stood up, folding the chair, pus.h.i.+ng down the bile that bubbled in my stomach. The last thing Id do would be throw up in front of her.
Gage shot her a hard look and took my chair with his, walking both over to the wall.
”Oh Im not worried about you, I never am. I know you dont do s.h.i.+t.” She sat back in her chair with a satisfied smile that hit me worse than her words.
”Ill show you what I do.” I crossed the s.p.a.ce separating us, fists clenched and ready.
She jumped up from the chair, knocking it over as she came at me in turn.
My blood sung as I took a swing, but it struck Gages back as he came between us and shoved her away.
”Stay down.” He stepped closer as he pointed to where she landed on the ground.
”Dude.” Ian popped up, placing his hand on Gages shoulder. ”Stop. Shes got it.”
Gage spun around, both hands on my shoulders. ”You calm now? You okay?”
I nodded, breathing deeply to still my erratic heart.
He waited for my eyes to focus on his, and then he nodded, releasing me and turned back to her.
Ian was on the ground, lifting her to standing, but she brushed him away as she looked towards Gage.
”Dont you ever f.u.c.king raise your hand to her again. And stop running that d.a.m.n mouth while youre at it.”
She lifted her hands with a barely there smile, still sitting on the floor in her tiny skirt. ”Yes, Sir.”
The room froze for a second, and then Gage turned back to me. ”Lets go.” He slid his hand around my back, walking us out of the loading dock to his SUV.
We both sat in silence as he pulled away from the club. When the car came to a stand still in b.u.mper to b.u.mper traffic, he cussed, and I wasnt at all sure it was towards the cars.
”What do you two have going on?” I voiced the question that wouldnt stop repeating in my head.
He turned towards me, wide eyed and angry. ”Out of everything that just f.u.c.king went down, thats the question you ask?” He sliced the air between us with his palm. ”What the h.e.l.l do you two have going on because I wasnt the one that completely lost it in there?”
I pressed my arms to me, gripping my fingers against the cold of the car. ”Shes been pus.h.i.+ng me since I met her. She just went too far this time. But you lost it with her too.”
He focused back on the road, trying to make a right turn. The buildings around us grew taller with every block we traveled into the city.
”I was protecting you,” his voice lost the loud anger he had earlier, but it was still there, running under his quiet words.
”Yeah, at the end. But earlier, in your office, when you grabbed her, that wasnt about me. What was that about?”
His head whipped towards me and then pulled back to the road. ”She was being disrespectful, and I was already stressed from our conversation. I usually dont let her get to me, but that time she did. I guess she got to both of us today.”
”Except, I dont want to put up with it. I wouldnt keep her around, why do you?”
”Because she can be counted on. Ignore her words, shes rough around the edges, but when it comes down to it, she delivers and shes on it. Shes right when she said Ian cant run that club without her.”
His eyes skipped back over me, a nervous flicker in them, gauging my reaction. ”On Monday, Ill sign over the club and Ian will be the one to put up with her.”
That spiked my anger all over again as I recalled his words to her. ”Thats what you keep saying to me, but to her, you said youd still be in charge. You made sure she knew that.”
He groaned as his hand ran through his hair. ”I was speaking from anger. Its true enough, I will be in charge because they both work under me as far as Viktors concerned. But Ill limit my dealing to Ian as much as possible.”
I crossed my arms, watching the people bundled up on the sidewalks. ”As much as possible,” I mumbled. ”We saw how well leaving her out of discussions goes, and how easily you boys give in.”
His hand gripped the wheel as he turned off the main road to a side one leading to our place. ”This isnt for you to worry about. Ive told you nothing is going on, you just have to believe me. But you want to find suspicion in everything I do.”
I couldnt respond to his harsh tone. Just believing him was something I was trying to do and having a hard time with.
”And you need to calm down and remember youre pregnant.” He was getting loud again.
”Im the one with a baby in my belly, I do remember.” It p.i.s.sed me off that he put that in question.
”Then what the h.e.l.l were you thinking?” He punctuated his point with a slam of his palm on the steering wheel. ”I can only do so much to protect that child when its in your care. Youre the first line of defense, and I need to know that you wont put him in danger when Im not around.”
I was shaking with the accusation, guilt swirling in me. ”I didnt mean to put it in danger. I just-”
”Enough.” He raised his hand. ”I know, she got to you and I should have stopped it sooner. I shouldnt have had you there in the first place.”
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