11. Vince
Vince
I hated clubs. I hated the people. And now, without Madeline, it was impossible to suffer through. Especially when she was here, but not with me.
After ruining his connections with his suppliers. I had planned on stopping. But the chances of me not wiping out his family's operations fully, was growing slimmer and slimmer.
He wouldn’t keep his hands off her.
“Again, I think we should call it a night.” Rome stood next to me at the glass window, following my eyes. “Come on, let's go.”
I shoved his hand off me. “No.”
“So, you’d rather just torture yourself and watch them all night?”
I finished my drink without answering him. At this rate it would be months before I’m justifying wiping their family out to Damius. I’d just have to do it before the wedding, so she didn’t get hurt.
“That’s it, I’m calling Nik.” Rome walked off. Leaving me alone in the office. The music was instantly more obnoxious when he opened the door for a moment.
Watching as she got up for the first time, leaving him. Now is my chance. Finally. Placing the empty glass down.
Taking the side door. People. So many fucking people. And all of them were in my way as I made it downstairs.
My fear of missing her disappeared when I saw her standing in the hall with her eyes closed.
She’s upset. That fucker has upset her.
“What happened?”
Opening her eyes, as if shocked to see me. Well, to be fair, I watched her all night through double tinted glass.
“Vince, what are you doing here?”
Placing my hand on her side. Three weeks. Three of the longest fucking weeks of my life. Each day, a reminder of my future.
“What did he do?”
Please let it be worthy of his death.
“Nothing, I’m just tired,”
Keeping her out while she is tired. I could justify his death for that. But she is lying to me. Moving my hand to her back, pulling her closer to me.
Fuck . I’ve missed her.
“Come home with me,”
Resting her hands on my chest. “I can’t.”
“Fine,” my breathing sharper, as she moves her hand to my neck, “I’ll take you home.”
“I’m staying with the Voss’s this weekend. His fucked-up cousins are in town.”
“I can make them leave.” it wouldn’t be more than a few phone calls to have them removed from my city.
She smiled, but I wasn’t joking.
“I should get back to them,” she pushed my hand off her back.
I hated this. I fucking hated this.
“I don’t want you to go back to them.”
Instead of stepping back, I kept her trapped against the wall.
“Please don’t go back to them.” If she thought I was above begging, she was wrong.
“Okay. But then, what?” She moved her head back to stare at me. “This was always going to happen. You knew this.”
Sure, logically I did. But now, I was living it. And it was physically fucking painful to see her with him. Every day, my life was harder to live without her.
She sighed, “You’ll adjust.”
“And if I don’t?”
Closing her eyes, as if I was the one causing her pain. When this was all her fault for getting into an arranged marriage.
“If seeing me around is only making things harder, maybe?—”
“Don’t you dare fucking say it,” Holding the side of her face, forcing her to look back at me. The thought of her leaving my city just made the rage worse.
“Maddy?”
Fuck my life.
Turning my head to glare at the bastard. Noah Voss. What kind of name is that?
“Is everything okay?” He looked from her to me, then took a step forward. “People told me about your thing with her,” he gestured to Madeline. “Actually, they warned me.”
My thing with her.
“Crow. She’s mine, she’s not yours. So, this,” he pointed between us. “is over understood?”
Did he just order me? He fucking did. Standing in my nightclub, in my city, thinking he could tell me what to do.
Dropping my arms. Fuck waiting for her to justify his death. I wanted him dead.
“Noah. I need to talk to Vince.”
“How about you just say whatever it is in front of me, Maddy?” Noah shrugged, that same smug look on his face. “Or should I say, Madeline? Only you call her full name, right? Maybe I should take that too.”
She stepped in front of me, blocking my path. But that wasn’t going to save him. “Vince, he is baiting you.” She grabbed my shirt, trying to get my attention.
“Come on Madeline, as fun as it is to see a Crow this helpless, I want to take you home.”
I grinned. Helpless. He was going to learn what helplessness was.
“ Vince !”
Gritting my teeth. Fucking Roman called him.
“Is there a problem?” Nikolai asked Noah before giving me a firm look.
“No Nik, there isn’t.” She turned away from me. “Where leaving? Isn’t that right, Noah?” she walked past him and out the door.
Noah stood back for a moment before following.
“If he hurts her, I’m killing him.” Turning my glare from the door to Nikolai.
“So, you want a reason now? What a saw a second ago, you didn’t.”
“Fuck off Nikolai.”
“This is a problem.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, staring at me.
I glared at the closed door. I had changed my mind about her arranged marriage. And I had decided it wasn’t happening. I just had to think of a way to end it. Without Damius finding out about my interest in her.