Chapter 26 #2
His glare narrows, and I know I’m pushing him. Well, good, fucker, you deserved to be pushed. “Your nuptials are all set to go ahead end of next week. Approval came through today.”
That sends my heart into overdrive. I have less than two weeks to find a way out. Or a card game in a moment of weakness is going to determine my life, and I can’t let that happen. Not now that I know the truth. Well, know there’s a truth they’re hiding from me.
The back door opens, and chatter fills the room as Sloane arrives with Onyx, Romeo, Reef, and Orlando.
She looks stunning as ever in a silver dress and super-tall stilettos, a massive smile on her peachy lips.
“I’m so glad you could all join me tonight.
” The scent of vanilla wafts around her as she leans in to hug us one by one.
I grip her hand and squeeze, my nails biting into the flesh.
Desperate times call for the only thing I can think of to get her attention.
She looks me over, confusion swirling in her pretty eyes.
“Give the girl some space, Jagger.” She shoos him off me, not quite what I wanted, but she’s on to me, and thank fuck.
Now all I need is a second alone with her.
“Romeo, you know all our marketing was done by Daisy here. She’s incredible, isn’t she? ” she gushes.
Romeo comes to join her. “Wouldn’t have gotten this many people here without you. Nice work, Daisy.”
“Thanks.” I smile back. “It was nothing, really.”
“I hear you were one of our most profitable dancers as well, in the short time you worked for us. We still have men asking for you. Any chance in coming out of retirement to do a few shifts?”
Asher’s shirt sleeve brushes my arm. “Roster is full for now, Romeo.”
“It’s a shame.”
“Yeah, it is,” I agree. “I loved dancing in your club. As soon as I can, I would like to be back up on that stage.”
“I’m sure Asher can do something to make it happen, or are you trying to keep her all to yourself now that you put a ring on it?” Romeo slaps Asher on the back, and the two of them engage in some sort of silent stare-off. Asher’s face says it all: back the hell off.
“When Daisy is feeling better and gets the all clear from the doc, she can dance to her heart’s content, nothing would make me happier.”
I roll my eyes, his words pissing me off.
Sloane’s lips form a thin line, and she glares at her brother, probably wondering what he’s done now to annoy me so much.
“How the fuck did he get in this place?” Jagger growls from behind us. “Thought you said security was fucking tight, little sis,” he snaps as he stalks for the door of the sky box.
“Silas Vance is about to die.” Cruz pounds his fist into his hand, taking off behind him.
That name. I know that name. My skin goes all cold and clammy. The brother of the man who attacked me. What on earth is he doing here? Fuck.
“Stay here with Sloane and Onyx,” Jagger hisses in my direction before he’s out the door with Cruz, Asher, Reef, Orlando, and Romeo behind him.
Their vigilante crew is so insane it would be comical if it wasn’t my life in the balance here.
That man was going to do awful things to me, and as much as I don’t think anyone deserves to die, I would certainly sleep better at night knowing he wasn’t lurking out on the streets of Ravens Hollow anymore.
I move over to the window to see the man for myself. Onyx’s hand moves to stop me, and he shakes his head as if to say I can’t get any closer. The man never talks, but his expression is enough to stop me. I back up, turning toward Sloane.
Her eyes flash with something that looks a lot like sympathy. “Are you alright? You damn near made my hand bleed earlier,” Sloane tries to joke with me but even her voice is strained.
I look at Onyx, wondering how much I can trust him. He was there this morning, he knows this situation already. And it’s now or never. “I heard what you said to your brothers this morning.”
Her perfectly shaped brow rises. “Shit. I didn’t want you to find out like that, sis. I was trying to do the right thing, make them fess up themselves.”
My heart sinks because even though I know what I heard, part of me had been hoping I was somehow wrong about it all. “How bad is it? Please tell me the truth.” I push the words through clenched teeth.
She glances at Onyx then back to me. “You need to hear it from them.”
“They don’t tell me shit,” I huff, so exhausted by it all.
“They’re trying to protect you.”
“Bullshit. They’re getting something out of this.
Something from Alex, from what I could gather this morning.
To do with me and Moretti Media in Italy.
Isn’t his share here in America big enough?
” I’m trembling all over I’m so angry. I thought of all people, she would help me.
She’s a part of this world, she gets it.
Her head drops. “It’s complicated, Daisy, so fucking complicated. But I can promise you my brothers only have your best interest at heart. They just have a fucking stupid way of going about shit.”
“You’re not even going to help me, are you?” I whisper, tears so damn close to springing free that my throat feels tight.
She sighs heavily. “I wish I could, you know I would do just about anything for you, girl, but in this case, my hands are tied.”
I turn away from her, not wanting her to see the tears that are about to start streaming down my cheeks. “I thought you were my friend,” I choke out.
She reaches out for me, touching my arm, but I flinch away, so done with this shit. “I am.” She closes her eyes and sucks in a deep breath. “Fuck, they’re going to kill me.”
“Sloane,” Onyx warns, his voice low and scary as all hell.
“They had their chance, Onyx. Keeping secrets only leads to bad shit, and I’m not going to let that happen to her, she’s been through enough.” Her attention comes back to me. “Valentine’s will. He left his thirty percent share of Moretti Media Italy to you.”
I feel the color drain from my face as I stumble back from her, every sickening piece of the puzzle falling into place.
That’s what they all want. My brother, Leone, the Stryker boys.
“If I marry Asher like they want me to, as my husband he will have some influence over the company and they all know it. They’re using me, that’s why you came around so pissed this morning when you found out. ”
She purses her lips. “I only heard of the will yesterday in the board meeting. I’m in control of the remaining seventy percent. It seems they wanted us both kept in the dark.”
“Why?” I spit.
“I promise you, Daisy, you just need to see this from my brothers’ perspective, this is bad news for you in so many ways.”
“Be straight with me, what exactly does it mean?”
“It puts an even bigger target on your back. You want to run a company you know nothing about? Because trust me, the motherfuckers in charge don’t play by any rules we have ever heard of.
I’m only still standing because I have Orlando and Romeo backing me every step of the way, but it’s been rough, and every day I wonder if I’ve made the right choice to keep going with it all.
If maybe I would be better off just handing it all over to Romeo and Orlando to run without me.
” She takes my hand, giving it a squeeze.
“Alone you don’t stand a chance in that boys’ club of corruption and manipulation.
With Asher by your side, maybe the two of you can make it work. ”
I stare back at her, shock and pain taking over. She’s the strongest woman I know, I trust her opinion on just about anything, but not this. They kept me out of all the decisions, and for that, I can’t forgive them no matter what their intentions were.
“I didn’t agree with them this morning, but now that I’ve had time to think, I know they’re right.
You know I’m all for empowering women to do whatever they want with their lives, but I don’t think this is what you want anyway.
And if I were you, I would save myself the trouble.
” Her head drops again. “Fuck, I hate myself for saying that to you. Look, girl, you can do whatever you want. But honestly, I just want to see you have a better life. I know what you’ve been through, and you deserve so much better, something away from all this shit.
And I think that’s what my brothers want for you as well.
They have all fallen in love with you and would literally do anything for you. ”
“Except tell me the truth so I can make up my own mind about what I want.” I refill my glass and throw it back then fix my angry gaze back on her. “If you really do care about me, don’t tell them I know. I need time to work out what I want.”
Onyx’s phone rings, and he answers immediately, nodding as the person on the other end talks. “Got it.” He disconnects the call and turns to us. “They have him. Jagger and Cruz send their apologies, they won’t make it back for the show. The others are on their way.”
“I won’t say anything to them. This is for you guys to work out.” The lights dim, and Sloane motions for me to join her. “Come watch the show you worked so hard on and forget about all the drama for a bit.”
Not wanting to ruin it for her, I move through the room and take my seat beside her. Onyx stands behind us.
“I will get you back on the stage as soon as I can, girl, we all miss you here,” she promises but I already know the only way I’m getting back on that stage is if the boys all agree to it, and I will probably be ninety and too damn old to move before that happens.
I force a smile for her more than anything. She came through for me tonight and told me the truth. Hurts like hell that her brothers couldn’t have told me, but I appreciate that she at least cares enough about me to do it.
The game show plays out much like the one Sloane did with me and Asher, but I have no interest in it at all. I’m so torn. So cut up inside. Crushed in a way I never thought I could be. This is why you don’t fall in love, because it hurts like fucking hell when it all falls apart.
Asher slips in the back and sits beside me, draping his arm over my shoulders like it belongs there.
The weight of it crushes me. Not because he’s heavy, but because I’m so damn trapped, I don’t know what to do.
If I don’t marry him, my family will come for me. If I do, I will be marrying into a lie.